Untitled Doom: The Story Of Invader Daft
by Cherry Flavored Arsenic
Summary: *FINISHED* Finally it is done...This is the long tale of Daft and her struggles to become a great Invader. What happens to her? Read and Find out. *sequel coming soon*
1. Mission Thingy Recived

**I don't own Zim, this is my own character from a RPG I'm playing. I've decided to put it into a story n' post it. Don't mind the spelling/grammar, can't get the spell check to work n' i really don't care. sorry. hope u enjoy this, more chapters up when i get the time! BTW, go to www.geocities.com./the_hellish_garden/index.html to see her site, it's awsome, and maybe even join the invasion ~_^ **  
  
Chapter 1: MISSION-THINGY RECEIVED!  
  
The halls of Conventia are crowed as the all mighty tallest drop down on their little flying-thingy and announce this years Impending Doom Mission #2. All the Irkans gather around to see who will be chosen to invade who and what. The all-mighty tallest are now announceing the Invaders as I cross my fingers and hope I'm one of them.  
  
"INVADER DAFT!" They cry as I rush up to the stage.  
  
I stumble and trip and roll onto stage in front of my great rulers as they stare down @ me from their tallest hights.  
  
"er..." Purple says "welcome!"  
  
I smile up @ them and hurry over to my spot, stumbling on the way. The great assigning goes on and an unexpected guest arrives. I hardly pay attention I'm so excited. Then it comes time for my assigned planet.  
  
"Invader Daft..." They call  
  
I step up to recieve my planet, the excitement building.  
  
"you get...THE PLANET OF LOTSA THINGS TO TRIP OVER AND FALL INTO!"  
  
I can hardly believe that i have a planet, and soon the assigning is over and we are lined up to recive our S.I.Rs. There is a slight disturbance up ahead as the special guest gets a S.I.R...Then after a few it's my turn...i can't wait ne longer. Then a S.I.R drops from above and unfolds. It saluts and reports.  
  
"S.I.R! reporting for duty master!"  
  
"good sir! lets go!"  
  
"yes master!"  
  
we walk off to get our pods and our Irkan utility paks and start our mission.  
  
"Now Sir, sit in here and i'll b right back." I say  
  
"Yes master!" he says and jumps into the pod-thingy.  
  
I turn and rush off to get my utility pak. when i return I see a blinding light and a burst of energy shakes my vehicle.  
  
"OHNO! WHAT'S HAPPENING!" i scream and rush over.  
  
The light leaves and my sir is lieing on the ground outside my pod, dazed. It's eyes are flashing from purple, to green, to red, to black. They turn red again and my sir sits up.  
  
"SIR! u ok? data and status report!"  
  
"stata scannnnning...." bleeps my sir.  
  
"sunny and warm with a high temperature of..."  
  
I reach over and whack my sir in the head and his eyes fizzle and come on strong.  
  
"data fine, status, fine, a bit dizzy, memory shaken but repairing. ready to go master."  
  
"good" I say and put my sir in the vootcrusier and get in myself. "NOW! TO RIEN DOOM DOWN UPON THE DOOMED PLANET OF MY ASSIGNED CHOICE!" I screach as my sir and i start up and take off into the starlight in search of our planet to begin our mission of DOOM!  
  
Will we make it? What is is with the energy burst in my sir? Could this effect ne thing on my mission? Will i conquer my planet or will it conquer me? FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER AND LETS HOPE I DON'T TRIP!!!!!!!!! 


	2. Landing Is Such A Pain In My Voot

Chapter 2: landing is such a pain in my voot  
  
A half a year later...  
  
A voot cruiser flies towards a giant planet, inside sits a small invader and her sir. they fly at top speed towards the approaching planet that doom was soon to come to.  
  
"sir! set the coordinates for a good landing spot!"  
  
"yes master!"  
  
the sir sets the coodinates and soon were flying over the planet in search of a landing place. From the planet, daft could see objects sticking from the ground, and deep dark circle that were probabley the things you could fall into. As they looked a giant peice of space stuff slammed the voot cruiser in the side, sending it tumbling off course into the planet. The cabin spun around and around and daft and her sir went tumbling in the cabin like the dice in a yatzi cup.  
  
"aaaaaaahhhhhhaaaaahhhhhaaaahhh!!!" they screamed as they tumbled  
  
Then the voot cruiser hit the atmosphere and started to burn a little as the voot cruiser tummbled out of control on to the waiting planet below. Daft was sure that the inhabitants would hear her and they would send re- enforcements to capture her as soon as they drug her twisted body form the steaming, twisted, scrap of metal that would be her voot cruiser when she landed. Daft gritted her teeth and tried to hang on and get the voot cruiser back on track without killing herself and her sir.  
  
"SIR! HANG ON!"  
  
Daft and sir shut their eyes as they nosedived into the waiting ground of the soon to be doomed planet below. Then sudenly a bright burst of light shot across the shield of the voot cruiser and it suddenly reared up and went on flying strait. Daft opens her eyes and realizes that the voot cruiser is flying straight. Sighing she relaxes. but that was a big mistake.  
  
a light beeps up at them and before Daft could realize it, they were out of fuel and dropping to the martian surface. The voot cruiser slammed into the ground and bounced off of an odd, rubbery, shape and bounced onto the ground. The wreck rolled and hit other objects that bounced it up into the air again and again. It slid across the ground, tearing up the surface untill it came to a slow halt. When Daft opened her eyes she was upside down with her sir on her stomach and the voot cruiser badley wrecked. Daft groaned and sat up as sir fell off her, out of commission.  
  
"well, this is a great way to start a mission..." Daft muttered  
  
Daft popped open the top and hopped out. She fell to the ground and laid there staring up at the sky. finally Daft got up to examine the wreck. The voot cruiser was badly damaged, but the supplies were intact @ least. Sighing Daft turned and dru her sir from the wreckage, she set him amung the supplies and looked back at the voot cruiser. Daft decided that she would set up her base, then work on the repairs. But now she must get a disguise. Daft looked around at the barran land and decided that it was pretty much empty, so she went on to set up the base.  
  
an hour later...  
  
With the base set up, the voot cruiser repairing itself, and sir back in commission, they set out to discover their surroundings.  
  
"sir, make a note of this...i think this is going to be easier than i thought! no one here to bother us, so now we can..." daft started.  
  
Suddenly Daft tripped over a small rock-like thing and landed on her face. She got up and looked at the rock. Then Daft turned around, tripping again. Daft kept tripping over everything as her sir watched, taking note. Finally Daft had tripped her way though some obsticals and stood up and dusted herslef off.  
  
"did you get that?"  
  
"..."  
  
"sir?"  
  
"...zzzfffffffff...." the sir buzzed with static.  
  
" sir! answer me now or..."  
  
"...zzffff...zzzttt.zztttffff....not again! did you use that old cream again? why not get SUPER WHIPPYCREAM! it gives you super taste on all your supe....zzzfffttt..."  
  
"what are you talking about??"  
  
"...zzzzfftttt...i ain't happy, i'm feeling glad...i got sunshine in a bag...i'm useless but not for long, my future is comin on...it's comin on..it's comin...zzzzfffttt..."  
  
"what? I SEE NO SUNSHINE BAG! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SIR?!?! TELL ME THIS INSTANT!"  
  
"zzfffttt...oops i did it again...i played with your heart, got lost in the game, ooo baby baby baby...zzfftt.."  
  
"NOOO! STOP THE USELESS DRONING!!! ARRRGGGHHH! MY SANITY!"  
  
"zzfft...zzzfffff....zzzttt..."  
  
"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"  
  
"zzfffaggggrrraaaaaiiieee!!!!! yes! master! reporting for duties!"  
  
the sir saluted  
  
Daft stopped covering her ears and screaming and stood up.  
  
"sir?"  
  
"yes master!"  
  
"good! your back to normal!!!! now...come, we have much to do. we'll start by going back and examining your wired little mind of strangeness. Now, come! let us head back for our base!" Daft commanded  
  
"yes master!"  
  
Daft turned and tripped over the rubbery object in her way. She caught her balance and walked around it haughtily. Daft and sir then returned to their base to examine this head.  
  
WHAT HAPPEND TO SIR'S HEAD? WHY IS DAFT ALWAYS TRIPPING? WILL SHE BE ABLE TO CONQUER THE PLANET AS EASILY AS SHE PLANNED? AND WHAT'S WITH PLAYING BRITTANY SPEARS ON AS SERIOUS MISSION LIKE THIS? FIND OUT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! 


	3. Reports and the Strangyness Inside My SI...

Chapter 3: Reports and the strangeyness inside of sir's head  
  
Back at the base....  
  
"now! sir! sit here and hold still! open you head!" i said  
  
"yes master!" sir said  
  
sir hopped up on a floating table and opened his head and held very still. I took a flash-light thing and looked deep within sir's head. Inside I see all the wires and everything seems to be hooked up fine. except for one thing...inside is a strange little flickering light. I poke it and get shocked. Screaming I fall backwards and hold my finger up. My sir starts to sing somthing from his head that i don't recognize. All i know is that it sucks.  
  
'sir! shut it off now!"  
  
"I'll never beak you...zzzfftttyyyaaaiiieee!!! yes master..zfftt...never make you....arrriiiieee!" screams sir trying to stop.  
  
Suddenly there is a bright burst and sir hops off the table and stares at me for a while.  
  
"why can't i have a name master?"  
  
"what? you do have a name! you're a sir!"  
  
"but everyone's a sir! can't i be a flir or a gir?"  
  
"gir's taken..."  
  
"aww...but y can't i have a name? everyone else does...well except me..."  
  
"well, ok. what do you want?"  
  
"how about Reilghatina jadeian-mouska Fernia Lartouskatina Alavamba Kioskia?"  
  
"huh?...NO! SHORTER!"  
  
"ok...hmm..."  
  
"Later, we have to report in...or else they'll think we're dead or worse..."  
  
"ok."  
  
I turn and sigh, what could be making sir so, radical-like? and what is this strange transmission thats somethimes good, but mostly annoying crap? this will have to be saved for later. Right now i must! report in. I push a button and a screen pops up.  
  
"Mission Base,  
  
This is Invader Daft reporting in! All is well here now, we had a rough landing, a..er...uh...transmission problem, but we're fine now. We'll be scouting out the planet insearch of it's weak points tomorro. I must be going now, END TRANSMISSION..."  
  
Now that that's done, i can get on with the rest of my duties. Suddenly i hear a babbling commotion from outside. I run to the small peep-hole and look outside. There, what i see terrifies me and enrages me...  
  
WHAT CAN IT BE? well, don't ask me...go find out for yourself in CHAPTER 4!!!! 


	4. Paper Bags and Markers

Chapter 4: Paperbags and Markers  
  
I reach my hand up to my mouth and conceal a squeal of panic that rises in my throat. STRANGE CREATURES ARE SURROUNDING MY SIR! Panic flows through me as I search around for a good disguise. I should have know that there were critters on this infernal planet! I curse myself for thinking there weren't any as i search for my disguise maker. Where is the stinking thing?!?!?!?!!? No time to look, they have picked up sir and are heading off with him! I have to hurry! My eyes turn upon a paperbag and some markers that sir had gotten out from his scavenge hunt that are lieing upon other useless junk. I grab the bag and a black marker and draw a face on the front. With a little laser I cut out eyeholes, shove it on my head and rush outside to save my partner.  
  
"HOLD IT YOU SCUMMY-SCUMBAGIES!"  
  
I leap at them in a mad fury, catching my foot on a peice of junk in my way. I land face down and groan. My paperbag falls off and as I raise my head I'm surrounded by all sorts of strange creatures. They stare at me and one pokes me with a long, stick-like finger. I squeal and roll away. Jumping to my feet i take out my mini laser and point it at them. They stand and stare as if they know me.  
  
"WHAT! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!?!?!?!!?!?"  
  
"wassat?" the stick-like one says  
  
"huh?"  
  
"wassat?"  
  
"huh?"  
  
"wassatinnnyourarms?"  
  
"SLOW DOWN!"  
  
"sorry...wat's...at....in..ur..arms?" a fat one says  
  
"what do u think? NOW UNHAND MY SIR OR BE BLOWN TO BITTY TINY PIECES OF DUST!"  
  
They stare at my and drop sir on his head. I call to him but he's unresponsive.  
  
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY..."  
  
Suddenly a fizzing noise starts deep within sir's head. I know what's gonna happen! Those creepy transmissions will start playing! What's he gonna say this time? I step back as they turn to face sir.  
  
"zzfft...You can't hurry love, you just have to wait..."  
  
The creatures start to scream and flee. This transmission is scaring them away!  
  
"go sir!" i scream  
  
they run away and i jump up and down in joy. Maybe this isn't so bad! 


	5. The Arrival Of the Insane

Chapter 5: The arrival of the insane  
  
"OK SIR! GOOD JOB! now, can u..um...stop please? they're gone now..."  
  
Sir keeps playing and fuzzing out and back in with other transmissions. This is really getting tiering. I sigh and start to walk over to Sir. Again I trip.  
  
"AIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKK!!"  
  
I tumble into sir and we go rolling until we hit a huge fluffy peice of stuffs. My brain is ratteling now and I'm sure that sir is ratteling his gears too. When I sit up and look around I find it's quiet. Finally! he's stoped his infernal singing! I sigh and stand up, picking up my sir and turn to walk back home and stratigize. Then, from nowhere there's a rumble in the atmosphere and a flash of light as if a meteor had struck the night sky.  
  
I look up and more streaks fly around the sky. Probabley just a meteor shower, nothing to fear. But another deep rumbling comes from the atmosphere. Puzzeled, i turn to look around. Suddenly, there's an earth- shaking rummble as the air in front of me starts to split open before my very own eyes. I stand there holding my sir watching this stange event, every limb on my body is paralized for some odd reason.  
  
From this rip in the air comes an eerie mist. My eyes widen as something steps out. It's a leg. Following is is a tall body holding something very scary and big looking. The thing is shadowed for a moment as it steps farther out onto my planet. Then, the streaks of light illuminate the things face and I can see what it is.  
  
It's a tall human girl. She's wearing blue jeans, combat boots, a teeshirt witha white longsleeve shirt underneath. She has brown hair and glasses and a very insane fire raging in her eyes. She's carring a high-tech lasergun and one mean look. I get my grounds and stand them as I remember that i'm an irkan invader! nothing scares me!  
  
"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON MY PLANET? HUMAN-STINKBEAST?!?!"  
  
She looks down at me disgustedly.  
  
"O great, your one of them aren't you. *sigh* i guess i'll have a little fun while i'm here. if i destroy you, that'll be one more irkan invader i don't have to put up with."  
  
"huh? how did you...wait! stop! you cannot stay here! my planet! MY PLANET!"  
  
"o please. why don't you stop, hold still, and make this easy on yourself, then i'll be on my way and, well, you can sleep an eternal sleep of death."  
  
"WHAT! NO! it is you who will be sleeping the sleep of death! irkans don't sleep on their jobs! Now! dieeeeee!!"  
  
I leap at the foe, dropping my sir and pulling out my mini laser and crash into her. She stumbles backwards and we roll back. She switches directions away from the rip and I roll towards it. Screaming i too, switch diretions. THAT'S IT! THE RIP IS STILL OPEN! that's how i have to get rid of her! yay! i'm smart!  
  
She leaps up and shoots at me. i roll out of the way and leap to my feet. We shoot at each other, dodging the lasers. i'm haveing trouble tho, these stupid thing poking out of the ground keep threatening to trip me! if i'm not careful i'll fall, then it's all over, she'll get me! I can't let that happen! stumbling over the rox i fire at her more. One laser skims past her arm, but doesn't cut it. I have to get better aim! or i die! game over, bye bye mission. WRITE GREAT INVADER ON MY GRAVE! no, i can't let it happen. I look around and get an idea...this is sure to work, so help me.... 


	6. Rye

Chapter 6: Rye  
  
Leaping towards the big rubbery thing i bounce off and hit the girl in her stomach.  
  
"no wonder the tallest sent zim to earth! these ppl are hard to beat!" i think  
  
we tumble backwards and roll away, she leaps up without a scratch. i tumble and hit a piece of junk, my arm really hurts now. the girl leaps towards me and pins me. she smiles an insane grin and speaks.  
  
"So, your a great invader huh? don't seem to great to me. But before i kill you, i'll tell you my name so you can take it to your grave with you."  
  
i squirm but she pins me even tighter.  
  
"I'm Rye, the great avenger of evil. I have traveled though a wormhole for as long as i can remember, all because of one of your kind back on earth. I believe his name is, zim...but as soon as i get back, i'll wipe him out and then i'll come for your kind, one by one i'll wipe out your kind till there's nothing else to even say that you were once here."  
  
"NOOOOO!!!!!" i scream and kick up into her guts.  
  
Rye lets go and stumbles back, holding her stomach in pain. Her head is bent and she has doubled over. Then, slowly, she lifts her head and looks at me with such rage and insaneness it paralizes me. I've fought in the training grounds against lots of scary things...but she's the scariest i've ever seen in my life. If i live, i'll probably have nightmares.  
  
Rye brings out her arm and points it at me. on her arm is a laser gun that's strapped to her arm staring at her wrist, ending at her elbow. She aims and shoots at me. A red laser flys through the air and peirces my arm. Pain shoots though me like a wild fire. I scream, fall down on my knees, and hold my arm in pain. Rye shoots again and it hits right before my face. I fly backwards with the rock and dust it kicks up.  
  
great. now i'm hurt and she's just fine, and well, rageing. *sigh* this is gonna take some time and planning. I lie still for a bit then my pak opens up and my spider legs shoot out, propelling me up, level with my enemy. She doesn't look surprised, but then again, why should she? she's probably already seen it before from Zim. wait, what did Zim do to get rid of her?  
  
Rye shoots again and i dodge it easier on the robotic spidy legs. I take my gun and shoot at her again. The cross fire is great and i charge up the particle laser to max and fire a great blast at Rye. It bounces off her gun. There's a disfunction and electricity flies from the broken gun. It zapps around before exploding within. Now that the gun is out of commission, Rye is unarmed. THis might be easier than it seems!  
  
But my gun wasn't made to do that, and it dies out. so now it's hand-to- hand combat, or die. great! the odds seem against me already! Rye leaps at me and takes me down. She rebounds off the ground and jumps up to a big rock like object. I hit the ground hard and bounce up and into another peice of junk. ok, this isn't so bad. I can still whoop her!  
  
Rye perches on top of the rockthing and waits, the fire in her eyes so bright that if you looked at it, it might seem as if you are being burnt. She pulls out a knife and holds it infront of her. The blade gleams in the twinkles of the night sky. I leap up the best i can and grab the nearest thing to my right. I pull it up and hold it infront of me like a wepon. Then i see what it is.  
  
Rye leaps at me with the knife gleaming and snickering through the air. Great. She's got a knife and I've got a...a...  
  
Kitty-Litter Box.... I'm Doomed....  
  
I hold out the box and the knife swings foreward, cutting into the box. I can see the very tip of the blade as it reaches the other side. close, so close to my head. The blade retreats and stabbs three more times into the sideof the box. Each thrust of the knife is greater and with more strength than the last. Kitty litter pours from each hole the knife makes. I take a step back with each stab. Searching for an object to fight back with.  
  
Stumbling over objects as i back up, i see a iron bar. Quickly as the blade come down again i turn to thorw the box. My head scrapes the blade and a trickle of my blood pours down my forehead. I thrust the box towards her, the knife still in deep. She pulls out the knife and throws the box to her left and I grab the iron bar and swing hard. It connects with her side and she utters a gasp and flies sideways. Rye crashes into the side of another giant peice of junk. Falling to the ground she lands on her knees and then collapses to her stomach. Her knife has fallen from her hand and it now is lieing by her side, not 3 feet or so from her. This might be where my fate turns around.... 


	7. Battle To the Pigs! er...I Mean Death!

Chapter 7: Battle to the Pigs! er...i mean...death...  
  
Moaning Rye brings herself up to her hands. She coughs and a spat of blood comes out and lands on the ground in a crimpson pile. Rye brings up a arm and wipes her mouth on her sleeve. She snatches the knife and stands. Rushing her, i aim the rod at her stomach and put thrust into the ram. She flipps up and out of the way as my rod rams into the pile of junk that she hit. The rod gets stuck and i get flipped up and over the junk. My spidy legs propell me back over and i try to get the rod out quickly before she can get her grounds and attack me. But Rye is quicker than i thought. She has got her grounds and is already rushing with a bloodthirsty attack.  
  
My gosh! she's fast and agil as a cat! sheesh! what am i gonna do with these clumbsy feet of mine?!?! argh! i hate the fates! Finnaly, with a great tug of strength i pull the rod out and swing it around. But Rye is ready for that kind of attack and jumps to the side as it swooshes under her feet. Ok, now what am i gonna do? she'll leap at my charges! her temper has flared :" src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/mad.gif" and now she's really bent on destroying me! if only...wait! WHERE'S SIR?!?!?  
  
Ok, so he went and hid on me...great...i should send out for another one so in another battle i can use him instead of dieing while he is hiding and shaking like some earthin' dirt child in a storm. no time to look though, if i turn my back i'll have a knife in it within seconds. odds suck. the snickers of the knife as it plunges through the air are defening and I try to bring the rod up in time to stop it. There's a ringing clash of metal as the knife hits the rod with such a force i was surprised that both of them didn't break just then. ok, i feel sick now...[pic]  
  
She slices downward again and i block with the rod. She pushes down on the knife while i push up on the rod. we are trying to weaken each other so we can get to the other. One of my spidy legs swoops under Rye's legs, toppling her over. Rye lands with a thud on her back and i bring the rod down towards her. She rolls and grabbs my spidy leg, sending me down as well. She tackles me and thrusts the knife to where my head was, but i move and escape. Rolling over, i stumble up, as does Rye. I leap backwards and Rye leaps from one piece of junk to the other. I'm stumbling now and soon i feel Rye connect with my stomach and we're falling. She pushes me with her feet and leaps up and over another object. I keep falling and wondering when i'm gonna hit the hard ground. But as i look down, i see that i won't hit it for a while...  
  
I'M FALLING IN A HOLE! [pic]  
  
I grab onto the edge and try to pull myself up but she stomps on my hand. I screach and pull away. My spidy legs reach towards the other side of the hole. I grab it and swing across and pull myself up. well, i was just aquainted with the things to fall into bit....  
  
Rye leaps across the hole and thrashes my shoulder. I'm in pain!!!!!! [pic]I stumble back wards and now as i look over my shoulder i see the rip in the wormhole. Now, if only i...  
  
My thoughts are interupted as a pain goes through my arm, she's stabbed me again! bloody agony! I swind the rod, connecting it to her arm. There's a snapping sound as Rye screams in agony as her arm snapps above the wrist. She rushes at me with her good arm raised and the knife gleaming. I step aside and she almost crashes into the rip. She stops and turns. Her eyes so full of fire paralize me... [pic]all i can do is stare.  
  
"You die now..." Rye starts  
  
But before she can finish my sir pops up and throws a little, pink piggy plushie at her. She screams and catches it as it tumbles her into the rip. It sucks her in and a last dieing wail fills the air. I feel the revenge in her voice as she calls to us as she falls deeper and deeper into the rip.  
  
"You'll pay you dirty rotten..."  
  
then it's lost in a deep sucking sound and a rumble followed by flashes of light. The rip closes and i'm standing there in amazement with sir at my side.  
  
"how's you know what to do?"  
  
"um, it's called sir connection, or SIRCIT. it's a little time when us sirs get together and discuss each other's assignments. We feel the need to be able to talk with one another and share our stories. just a couple months ago, while you were out scanning the area, i was chatting with Gir, ya know, Zim's Sir? ne way, he was telling me about brainfreezies, pigs, and how he pushed Rye into the wormhole with one on accident, but then he got confused and decided to go get tacos, so i left. It's very informatory, really, and us sirs really love SIRCIT! I've told them about this mission so farm and now i have another thing to tell tonight! Icant wait!"  
  
"ooooooo.....i seee......hmm...ok then. Thnx sir, now what do you say we get back and start to plan domination?'  
  
"yes master!"  
  
we head home for another night of planning and taking care of my wounds. At least i survived this battle, thanx to sir and the SIRCIT! maybe it was a good idea for the almighty tallest to set that up. I'll have to send them my grattitude...wait a sec! THE ALMIGHTY TALLEST'S B-DAY IS SOON! i must take time to go over there! Setting the world on freeze I take sir and hop in my voot cruiser and fly off to deliver them their presents. When i get back, i'll make sure to 'Rye-proof' my planet... 


	8. Maximum Velocity

Chapter 8:Maximum Velocity  
  
*We return to our planet @ a late hour. The distant foreign sun is just setting in the sky*  
  
"Sir. prepare the engines for re-entry!" i said as i looked out upon the planet.  
  
"Yes! Master! Preparing engines for re-entry!"  
  
"Good."  
  
As i look out at my marked planet i begin to take in a beauty in wich it is said to only be in the 'eye of the beholder.' Wait. Now where'd i get that from? Probably from sir...But as I stand in my little voot crusier looking out at my doomed planet, I realize how lovely it is. With its mountains of junk sticking from its dusty surface, it's deep,dark holes in wich you could easily fall into and never be seen again, littering the surface and dusted in a dull red glow, the planet was absolutley breathtaking. I sighed as I stood looking at the approaching planet of beauty. Why wasn't it called the "Planet of All the Beautiful Junk and Black Holes"?  
  
"Re-entry in 5" sir said  
  
i didn't hear because I was swept into the mystical and breathtaking scene.  
  
"2.."  
  
The voot started to tremble as we entered into the atmospehere. Still, i was entranced.  
  
"1..."  
  
The tremble turned into a shaking and then a huge rumbling and then it started to pitch and rock, throwing me out of my trance and into my seat of my voot along with reality. I clutchd the seat and held on with one hand while trying to find my seat belt with the other. The voot shook violently as I squeezed my eyes shut and clasped on my safety stap and hung on. Soon we entered the atmosphere and the pitching and rocking stopped and dulled to a gental sway. I sighed a sigh of relief and gained my bearings just as we landed in the now milky haze of twilight.  
  
"Touchdown on the open field!" Sir said  
  
"Where'd you get that one?"  
  
"i think i heard it in my head one night...it sounded kinda kewl, ya know, so i said it. It was kewl, right?"  
  
"yea...supurb. now let's go and check our grounds, get some rest, and then tomorrow we can go about Rye-Proofing our planet. What about that sir?"  
  
"that sounds great! er...i mean...YES MASTER!"  
  
"he he he...no need sir...look at the beautiful end of the day sun sir...let's relax!"  
  
"okie dokies!"  
  
Sir and I hop out of the voot and stare at the sun for a moment as it dies into the misty twilight of the three visible moons circling the planet. As we head towards our house, i freeze and turn to my right towards moving shadows. I reach my hand to my side to feel for my mini laser while the shadows pause, recede, then comeback. They twist and turn in the night mist, as if they are coming slowly towards me and sir.  
  
"Armor mode sir...i think we have visitors..."  
  
A little twitching noise and sir is armored down. suddenly i whirl around to see more moving shadows on my other sides. I'm surrounded by moving shadows!!! [pic]but that's nothing! I can take 'em! I took on Rye...and look where she is now! ok, well, i took her on..but i guess i have to give some credit to sir, ne way, he did, after all, push her into the portal...  
  
Then, a scattered bunch of aliens emerge from the shadows. They are all different types, but all have one thing in common. Sharp teeth. I can see two horrible rat people, a couple algie eaters, and a few others i cannot place a finger on. They must all be exiles because they look to frightning to be just 'let go' of. They must have done something very very evil...and if they can do that then imagine what they could do to me...and then...WHY AM I THINKING THIS???I AM AN INKAN INVADER! I DON'T SCARE EASILY! ESPECIALLY BY EXILES!  
  
They grin and lick their lips and teeth. i narrow my eyes and glare at them. They glare back through tiny eyes, big eyes, and thin eyes. The larger of the group steps forward and hisses before speaking;  
  
"youssss on our landsssss...." it hisses  
  
"YOUR lands? YOUR lands? I see your name no where? where do you get off thinking that it's your lands?"  
  
"It'sssss my landsssss...yousss not undersssstanding me..."  
  
"I understand you fine, it's you who don't understand me!"  
  
"Nossss...Youss don't undersstand me. I give youssss an hour to pack up and get outssss....got itsss?"  
  
"I aint goin nowhere. I give YOU an hour to pak and get out before i take you out!"  
  
"That a threat? eh? ssss...."  
  
I grin wickedly, i have learned to love the sport of bluffing. But, have i gone too far? NOPE! he he he...let's see where this heads...  
  
"Bring it on..." i whisper as he pulls back and then lunges towards me.  
  
I jump to the side as he slashes an angry paw down at me. I bounce off his head as he crashes down, hissing. I grin and land on my feet. I'm doin good! yay! lets see if i can keep this up now...  
  
He lunges towards me again, snapping, and i jump to the side.  
  
"Now, that's enough, you're standing in my way of bringing doom to this planet. let's finish this buddy..."  
  
I grab my laser and fire at him. It lights up the air and the other creatures scatter wildely. They are cringing against the light. LIGHT! of course!  
  
"sir! lights to the max!"  
  
Sir salutes and clicks into light mode. A faint glow starts from his eyes, then starts to emit from his body. The light shines out and cuts through the mist and the shadows. The creature that was lieing on the ground hisses and sheilds his eyes. He leaps up and scurries towards the shadows. His last hiss hangs in the air as he dissapears into the night.  
  
"THEROESSSS ISSSN'T DONE WITH YOUSSSS...."  
  
I stand bravely as he scurries off into the night. Ha! so my bluff turned out alright...now to relax. I congradulate my sir and tell him he can stop with the light show now,and then we went inside for a night's rest. 


	9. Squeeks, Tweaks, and Bleeps

Chapter 9: Squeeks, Tweaks, and Bleeps  
  
Bleep.  
  
Bleep.  
  
Bleep.  
  
I sit up from my small nap on the sofa and look around sleepily.  
  
Squeek.  
  
Bleep.  
  
Twitch.  
  
Where is that noise coming from? I stand quickly and look around. The morning's shadows are everywhere as the distant sun slowly rises...  
  
Bleep.  
  
Twitch.  
  
Squeek.  
  
That sound is driving me crazy! i have to find it. my brain twists around and around running over all the possible things it could be. I sneak towards the doorway and peer inside the next room. It's dark, and i can see the outlines of things that were just set in there harry-scarry. I tiptoe in and findmyself almost tumbling over my feet. I stop and catch my balance and move on.  
  
Switching on a light i can see a small thing on the table. There's a red light on it and it's blinking as it makes the noises.  
  
beep.  
  
[Blink]  
  
squeek.  
  
[blink]  
  
twitch.  
  
[blink]  
  
I approach it with caution and then as if pick it from the table i see what it is...  
  
My eyes widen and i drop the piece back on the table and spin around.  
  
"SIR? Where are you?"  
  
I pick up the piece and hold it in my hand as i run out of the room and into the third chamber. All the while i'm calling for sir.  
  
In the room i flick on the lights and the dusy light filters down through the beams and onto the large, garage like room. Inside the voot-crusier sat waiting for repairs and updates. The room was sumwhat empty, except for the small trail of some dark, stick, black stuff. I follow it over to a small pile of boxes, all the while my brain swirling and twisting and thinking of the worse possible oust come.  
  
I stop behind the boxes and gasp. I drop the chip that is still blinking and bleeping, and stare in utter horror. The chip lies on the floor bleeping and blinking... 


	10. Morning Approaches, But Light Is Scarce

Chapter 10: Morning Approaches, But Light Is Scarce  
  
I take a few steps backwards, tripping over a box and falling to the ground. My eyes are wide as I cry out a little. A deep shudder starts in the center of my body and radiates outwards, sending me in series of shudders that take over my body and rattle my brainmeats terribly. I look towards the horror of a dismantled S.I.R on the ground. Every peice of him laying all over the floor. Control systems shattered, memory chip broken, and guidence systems smashed. Screws and wires everywhere on the floor around the small body of my loyal Sir.  
  
As I lay there shuddering and staring at my dismantled friend my mind starts to go numb. I'm filled with a strange sensation that I've never felt before. My eyes close and my organs seem to explode with this new feeling I have. I curl up shuddering making little squeeky noises as my mind flashes back to my first S.I.R unit encounter.  
  
~a S.I.R drops from above and unfolds. It saluts and reports.  
  
"S.I.R! reporting for duty master!"  
  
"good sir! lets go!"  
  
"yes master!"  
  
we walk off to get our pods and our Irkan utility paks and start our mission.  
  
"Now Sir, sit in here and i'll b right back." I say  
  
"Yes master!" he says and jumps into the pod-thingy.  
  
I turn and rush off to get my utility pak. when i return I see a blinding light and a burst of energy shakes my vehicle.  
  
"OHNO! WHAT'S HAPPENING!" i scream and rush over.  
  
The light leaves and my sir is lieing on the ground outside my pod, dazed. It's eyes are flashing from purple, to green, to red, to black. They turn red again and my sir sits up.  
  
"SIR! u ok? data and status report!"  
  
"stata scannnnning...." bleeps my sir.  
  
"sunny and warm with a high temperature of..."  
  
I reach over and whack my sir in the head and his eyes fizzle and come on strong.  
  
"data fine, status, fine, a bit dizzy, memory shaken but repairing. ready to go master."~  
  
A strange liquid fills my eyes and rolls down my cheeks, sizzling as it slides downwards to fall on the ground. Pain comes to me, ignoring it, I go on flashing back....  
  
~"did you get that?"  
  
"..."  
  
"sir?"  
  
"...zzzfffffffff...." the sir buzzed with static.  
  
" sir! answer me now or..."  
  
"...zzffff...zzzttt.zztttffff....not again! did you use that old cream again? why not get SUPER WHIPPYCREAM! it gives you super taste on all your supe....zzzfffttt..."  
  
"what are you talking about??"  
  
"...zzzzfftttt...i ain't happy, i'm feeling glad...i got sunshine in a bag...i'm useless but not for long, my future is comin on...it's comin on..it's comin...zzzzfffttt..."  
  
"what? I SEE NO SUNSHINE BAG! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SIR?!?! TELL ME THIS INSTANT!"  
  
"zzfffttt...oops i did it again...i played with your heart, got lost in the game, ooo baby baby baby...zzfftt.."  
  
"NOOO! STOP THE USELESS DRONING!!! ARRRGGGHHH! MY SANITY!"  
  
"zzfft...zzzfffff....zzzttt..."  
  
"AAAAHHHHH!!!!"  
  
"zzfffaggggrrraaaaaiiieee!!!!! yes! master! reporting for duties!"  
  
sir saluted~  
  
ooooo....I even miss the way he's always blank out and start talking and singing nonsense! More shudders came as I lay curled up helplessly crying, as it was called, and shuddering like a limp dishrag.  
  
~"why can't i have a name master?"  
  
"what? you do have a name! you're a sir!"  
  
"but everyone's a sir! can't i be a flir or a gir?"  
  
"gir's taken..."  
  
"aww...but y can't i have a name? everyone else does...well except me..."  
  
"well, ok. what do you want?"  
  
"how about Reilghatina jadeian-mouska Fernia Lartouskatina Alavamba Kioskia?"  
  
"huh?...NO! SHORTER!"~  
  
"Oh sir...I should have given you a name, then you could have at least been called by it while you were...still...in existance...*sniff sniff*...my poor sir..." I cry staring up into the darkness of my eyelids.  
  
~"OK SIR! GOOD JOB! now, can u..um...stop please? they're gone now..."  
  
Sir keeps playing and fuzzing out and back in with other transmissions. This is really getting tiering. I sigh and start to walk over to Sir. Again I trip.  
  
"AIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAKKKKK!!"  
  
I tumble into sir and we go rolling until we hit a huge fluffy peice of stuffs. My brain is ratteling now and I'm sure that sir is ratteling his gears too. When I sit up and look around I find it's quiet. Finally! he's stoped his infernal singing! I sigh and stand up, picking up my sir and turn to walk back home and stratigize.~  
  
infernal singing? i luved it, and now i've lost it forever...  
  
~sir pops up and throws a little, pink piggy plushie at her. She screams and catches it as it tumbles her into the rip. It sucks her in and a last dieing wail fills the air. I feel the revenge in her voice as she calls to us as she falls deeper and deeper into the rip.  
  
"You'll pay you dirty rotten..."  
  
then it's lost in a deep sucking sound and a rumble followed by flashes of light. The rip closes and i'm standing there in amazement with sir at my side.  
  
"how's you know what to do?"  
  
"um, it's called sir connection, or SIRCIT. it's a little time when us sirs get together and discuss each other's assignments. We feel the need to be able to talk with one another and share our stories. just a couple months ago, while you were out scanning the area, i was chatting with Gir, ya know, Zim's Sir? ne way, he was telling me about brainfreezies, pigs, and how he pushed Rye into the wormhole with one on accident, but then he got confused and decided to go get tacos, so i left. It's very informatory, really, and us sirs really love SIRCIT! I've told them about this mission so farm and now i have another thing to tell tonight! Icant wait!"~  
  
He saved me and I wasn't around to save him...I can't belive this has happened to me. I must be a horrible invader to let this happen! I curl up tighter and cry harder, sizzling my skin and bringing more pain to myself. How am I going to report this to the Tallest? They will be so dissapointed in me...They might even turn against me and banish me for letting this happen! WHY O WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?!?!?! well, @ least i'll have company if i'm banished to FoodCourtia...i guess i can look forward to an eternity of frying things...  
  
(Later...)  
  
I pull myself up from the ground and from the shadows of yestereday and force myself to pick up the limp body of my comrad and head back to the lab. When I get there I put down sir and stare at him for a moment with a heavy sadness, as i found out later that was what it was called, and sighed. I turned to contact the Tallest, but turned back before I left to look at sir once more.  
  
"I'll call you Link...that way you can at least have a name i can call you by when I recall what happened in the report before I....before I..." I stop for I cannot go on any longer. With a stinging tear in my eye I turn to go, shutting off the lights on the heap of metal that I once called my friend. Morning has come, but it has brought only darkness with it... 


	11. Phantom Appearances

Chapter 11: Phantom Appearances  
  
Shadows draw across my floor as I walk up to the transfer-reciver and reach out for the button with a trembling hand. My finger stretches out and pushes the button as the screen pops up and starts to send the tansmission to the great Irkan Armada and the Almighty Tallest.  
  
The screen fuzzes in and there, sitting in their chairs, sit the Almighty Tallest Red and Purple. I shake as they wait for me to state my business. I open mymouth but quickly shut it again. They raise their eye brows and look at each other. I start to speak and i try not to stammer.  
  
"My Greatest...I have something terrible to report to you...I..i...it seems that someone has...has..."  
  
"Yes...go on Invader Daft..." Red says, sensing something is terribly wrong.  
  
"Well....um..."  
  
"*Gasp* Did she fail in taking over the planet?" Purple whispered to Red with a pale face.  
  
"Something has happened to my sir..he's...."  
  
Suddenly my eye catches site of something in the corner and i turn around. I hear a loud fuzz as my connection breaks and I'm left alone with whatever is here with me. The thing moves over to another corner quickly and I spin around to see what it was. Before I can fully tell what it is that's there with me, it zips off towards the door. My spidey legs shoot out and carry me quickly towards the door and the creature. The dark shadow stops ahead of me and then zips off as soon as i'm only feet away.  
  
Twisting and turning around and around corners and zipping through hallways the dark shadow runs as I follow it, closely on it's tail. Shadows seem to reach out towards me as i run after the creature that seems intent on showing me something.  
  
It zips out of the base and I stop at the door looking for it. I look around and can't find it. My brainmeats are spinning as my spidey legs retract and I stand there staring. What was that? How did it get into my base? MAYBE IT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF LINK! anger comes to fog my brainmeats over as i frown and clentch my fists together. If i ever find that thing again and i find out it's responsible for Link...i'll...i'll....  
  
ok...i'm over heating and that's bad because i could get caught off gaurd, and the last thing i need is to end up dead too. I turn and shut the door so nothing else gets in and then I sit down on my favorite little hemisphere shaped chair. I sigh and hang my head and try to think of what i'm gonna do next.  
  
I could try to fix Link, but he was made with such great handicraft that i would only ruin him further. I could continue on with my mission, but it would be hard without help. I could build a new robot! no...nothing could replace Link, and i'm not that good at creating robots. I could resign from my mission and be banned to Foodcourtia...no...that wouldn't work. the only good thing about that would be seeing Zim...he's soo cool...he could probably do better in my position. *sigh* I wish I could be like him...so devious...so...parioid...so...  
  
What am i saying? I can get over this! I can and I wil! It will be hard, but that's no reason to give up! NO! NEVER! MWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAH! Snap MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
I jump up and run over to the transmitter and sent a transmission to the Almighty Tallest. I stood before them brave and smart and not afraid or sad anymore. They were talking to each other with worried faces when my image appeared on the screen.  
  
"LOOK! she's back!" Cried Purple  
  
"What happened? What's wrong? Tell us! Is everything ok?" Red asked  
  
"Yes! Did you fail to destroy the planet and bring honor to our great Ikran Race????"  
  
"Yes! Tell Us!"  
  
"I have not failed my Tallest. I will not fail for you and bring disgrace to you. I have merely caught a snag in my plan...NOT TO WORRY THOUGH! i have another, GREATER! MOST AMAZING PLAN! you won't be disappointed..." i said my eye twitcing a bit "Invader Daft, over and out..."  
  
I left them there staring stangely at the screen wondering if i was insane or if i just had a really good plan...which i did...so don't think otherwise! now...back to my brainmeaty thought patterns!  
  
Yes...*i'm thinking now*...i shall find this creature and dismember it horribley! then, I SHALL EAT IT'S INNARDS! no no no...wait...never mind that...that would get me no where. FIRST! i shall find the creature, then i'll capture it, then i shall force it to tell me...THINGS! then my brainmeats will be so full of KNOWLEDGE! i can fix Link and return to destroying the planet! *i have gone mad!*  
  
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  
  
*hopefully, you're still reading this b/c i'm not done!*  
  
I stop laughing and start down to my deep, shadowy labs full of scientifical machines and stuff! I shall find this creature and i shall have Link back! As I pass down the hall, the shadows reach out to me, almost as if to embrace me in their darkness... 


	12. Stalking Shadows Part One & Two

Chapter 12: Stalking Shadows Part One  
  
Darkness surrounds me, wraps me in it's icy grip, hugs me, chills my soul, all the while comforting my paranoid thoughts of shadows. Rocking in the silent void, thoughts twisted around and around my brainmeats like big, buzzy...BEES! I whisper to myself and stare out into the darkness. It will come Soon...I know it will. It has been appearing everynight, waiting, mocking me. I stare ahead into the darkness, waiting. Tonight is the night. I can feel it in my bones. Tonight I will face the great shadow beast and i shall win. The shadows twist about me, embracing me. I draw strength from them as I wait. I can hear the ground shift as something steps, the pebbles crunch under its weight. Two large, crimson eyes burn back into my skull. I stare, not ready to belive that it's really him. I stumble forward and trip over a pile of dirt and fall to my face. I leap up and run towards him, pulling a netgun from my backpack, stumbling as i do so. It turns, dissapearing into the shadows and runs ahead. I run after it becomeing furious and determined to capture it. My brainmeats buzz as I run, the shadows brushing past me. It stops ahead, running off again as i get within reach. finally it stops for good and turns to stare at me. Out ot breath, I run up to it, raising my gun.  
  
I aim as i get in range, but trip over my own feet and fall, the gun sliding out of my hand and towards his feet. The great shadow beast walks towards me, crunching my net gun under his weight and steps boldy up to me. I turn over to look up at him. His red eyes burn into my purple ones, all the fire mealting out of them, leaving bare determination and a hint of fear. He stares down at me as i stare back, awaiting my fate.  
  
Chapter 13: Stalking Shadows Part Two  
  
His cold red eyes stare back into mine as I lay there awaiting my doomy fate. I can feel his cold breath against my face, his shadowy aroura drifted about me, mixing with the rest of the darkness. He was strong, i could feel his power, his outline portrayed him as a four legged beast. A Tiger, or something, only bigger and much more scary. I could feel him lean closer, his breath getting closer on my face. I shut my eyes, preparing to feel the teeth sink into my skin when it spoke.  
  
You...  
  
I opened my eyes suddenly, seeing the sharp white teeth as he spoke. My brain froze, but my body moved. I rolled out of the way of his mouth, crashing into his paw, making him move it. As soon as he did I rolled again until i hit a pile of junk and dirt. I scrambled to my feet again as the great beast turned to stare at me. I backed up to the mound of junk, pressing so hard that a few things poked me in the back as the great beast walked up to me slowly. I could hear the weight of his foot as he stepped towards me. I've angered him. I'm done for!  
  
Don't run. I won't hurt you.  
  
I freeze and watch him, sharp teeth glistening in the low light. The sun has started to come up, giving a dim glow to everything. He stops in front of me, his red eyes glowing. I try to think what other weapons I have with me to use, but I'm frozen in thought.  
  
Please don't be afraid.  
  
Who are you? What did you do to Link?  
  
Don't fear me.  
  
ANSWER ME OR I'LL MELT YOUR BRAINS!  
  
I shudder with a mix of fear and anger. Link comes to mind. I loved him, why shouldn't i be angry? :" The great shadow beast opens his mouth to speak, just as the rays of the sun come up over the horizon. He turns to look, turns back sparing me one more look, then in a swish of shadowy wind, he's gone n' i'm left by myself, miles from my base. I look around, not recognizing my location. I go to call my SIR to pick me up, but then remember his demise. I turn and look arond. Maybe if i get up high enough, I'll be able to tell which way is home.  
  
I climb up to the top of a high mountain of junk and look out across the landscape towards my base. For an hour I look, finally spotting it in the distance. My spiderlegs extend from my backpack and carry me in the direction of my base swiftly. On them, I avoid all possibilities of falling in any hole and tripping over something with my clumbsiness. I really have to work on that. It has almost gotten me killed twice now. I reach my base and am surprised to see a familliar face there. 


	13. Familliar Faces, Familliar Problems

*ok, if u've come this far w/o complaining about my spelling, I salute you. I shall try to get all my spelling and grammar correct in my next story. THNX!* Chapter 14: Familiar Faces, Familiar Problems  
  
I stop short in my tracks, my eyes meet with his across the way as he stares. My mouth twitches, ready to fall open at any time. He leans up against a pile of wood and plastic, arms crossed, staring at me. His voot cruiser is parked a ways away, his SIR sitting in the seat. He raises an eyebrow playfully while he stares at me, waiting.  
  
"Don't be rude. Come talk to me."  
  
"What are you doing here Xen?"  
  
"What do you think I'm doing here?"  
  
"Nevermind. I don't care anyway."  
  
I carefully walk over to him, being careful not to trip and give him something to laugh about.  
  
"Very Nice Daft. No trippage...yet..."  
  
"Shut up Xen."  
  
He smirks at me as I stand in front of him haughtily. I won't make a fool outta myself this time. He looks me up and down before smiling and uncrossing his arms.  
  
"Nice to see you again Daft. How are things going with your planet?"  
  
"Fine. By the way...aren't you supposed to be on YOUR planet?"  
  
"Yeah, but I've got it pretty under my control. What with being the greatest invder n' all...I don't have to worry."  
  
*cough*showoff*cough*  
  
*sigh* "Would you like to come in and have a snack? Investigate my labs and progress, annoy me to death? show off some more?"  
  
"Aww, you make me sound like a snob"  
  
"No, really?"  
  
I roll my eyes and walk to the entrance of my base, a hidden door in a pile of junk. Xen follows me in, admireing my camoflauge abilities. We walk down the hallway into the fith chamber. i press a button and a table comes up, along with a snack container filled with nesessities. Two seats pop up and Xen sits down and waits. I push three buttons then sit down as a robotic arm comes out and places two containers on the table. He reaches for his and compliments me on the base.  
  
"Well, you certaintly know how to entertain. You base is also very crafty. I like it."  
  
"I passed the camoflauge test and ediquet never failed anyone."  
  
"I see."  
  
"What are you really doing here Xen?"  
  
"I thought you knew."  
  
"Obvious I don't."  
  
"Just visiting."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I was bored."  
  
"Then why me? You have other friends. Why me?"  
  
Xen was silent for a few moments, but then shoved the stick with the candy into his mouth and started to suck on it, ignoring my question. I stared at him suspiciously, licking my stick as well. I waited and when he didn't answer i opened my mouth. The silence was killing me.  
  
"C'mon Xen. Don't leave me guessing."  
  
"Something's wrong here, isn't it Daft."  
  
"No!" I said quickly  
  
"Then why do you sound so defensive?"  
  
"Why won't you tell me?!? What are you hiding?"  
  
"What are YOU hiding?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"Me too!"  
  
"Liar!"  
  
"Stickworm!"  
  
We glared at each other across the table. I turned my head away from him angirly, him following suit. The silence became heavy and started to weigh down on me as I sat there, stirring the sweet crystals of sugar in my container with a stick. Time went by, the silence wore on as I listened to the little clicks and the settling of the base and the metal supporting it underground.  
  
"I'm sorry Daft. I am hiding something."  
  
I looked back over to him, coming eye to eye with his large red ones. I listened.  
  
"Ok. Things aren't going fine on my planet. I did something stupid and now I might have compromised the mission. I left before it could get worse, and well, I don't know what to do now."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Something's wrong here too. I can feel it. I can see it in your eyes."  
  
"Ok. There is something wrong."  
  
"See. I was right."  
  
"Yeah. I guess. It's my SIR."  
  
"Destroyed?"  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"Uh...He wasn't with you."  
  
"Right. He's well, dismantled, and I can't piece him back together. I'm afraid that if i try, Link'll never be the same again."  
  
"Hmmm....I can help. Show him to me."  
  
"Sure you can. You can't even handle your own planet."  
  
"I was top of my class in Mechanics. Don't forget that."  
  
"Thankx. Here. Let's make a deal. I help you if you help me."  
  
"Fine."  
  
I stood up and took his hand in a shake. He smiled at me, holding onto my hand a bit longer before dropping it. I lead him down the hall and into the lab and pressed a button. As the container popped up with Link's parts in it i held back more tears of pain. Xen stepped up beside me and reached for Link. I held my breath. 


	14. White Knights, Shadowy Beasts

Chapter 15: White Knights, Shadowy Beasts  
  
*Hours Later*  
  
I peer over Xen's shoulder as he worked on the last bit. My eyes watered as I watched him install the last part. He turned back to me, without a face of pride, but a puzzled look.  
  
"This piece is kinda damaged. I think you might need to get a new one."  
  
"No no no. Just put it in please."  
  
"Ok. Fine, whatever you say..."  
  
He turns back and installs it. I find myself holding my breath again as he shuts the top of Link's head. When Xen turns around again, he has a look of pride on his face. He stepps back and there on the table is Link, his eyes lit up and fully functional. I bite my lip as my tears water trying to bite back the streams of pain that would fall from my eyes. Wrong move. Biting my lip only made it worse. A tear slipped down my face, stinging it as I leapt toward Link. I picked him up and hugged him, feeling a feeling that I had never felt before. Link hugged back, seemingly back to his normal self and I wondered if the damaged part was the thing that made him sing.  
  
Xen leapt back, startled at my emotions, not understanding what was happening. I was crying again, and hard too. Tears poured down my cheecks, sizzling my flesh, steam pouring from the paths the tears took. Xen grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around quickly to look into my eyes. His were filled with worry and fear of the liquid I produced.  
  
"Daft! Your...your...LEAKING! Are you ok? Your skin...it's...sizzling! Daft...You..."  
  
"It's ok Xen. They're tears. It's ok really. They don't hurt as much as they look. I'm fine. Thank you for everything Xen! Your wonderful!"  
  
Xen released my shoulders and backed away two steps, looking away. I hugged Link tightly, the last of my tears drying up and the steam finally thinning out. I smiled and spun Link around and around, Xen backing up again and again, not sure what to think. I stopped and set Link on the table.  
  
"Master! I'm back! I have so much to tell you it's overfilled my memory chip."  
  
"That's ok Link. We'll go over it later. All that I care about now is that you're ok."  
  
"Link? Is my new name Link?"  
  
"Yeah. You like it?"  
  
"You bet! Link, Link Link....Link, Link, Link! Hi! I'm Link! My name's Link! Link, Link, Link!"  
  
I giggled as Link danced around singing his name as Xen watched with an eyebrow raised and a strange look on his face. I ignored it and picked up Link, dancing with him, singing his name over and over agian until we broke out in giggles. I caught Xen with an akward smile on his face as he watched. I came over to him and picked up his hands, spinning him around with me, a great big smile on my face as Link sung in the background. Xen looked embarassed and tried to pull away. He pulled away and stepped back again.  
  
"Uh, Daft? Have you gone completely insane?"  
  
"Nope. Not that I know of. Come on Xen! Let's celebrate."  
  
"Uh. I'll pass."  
  
"C'mon! Don't be such a stick in the mud! Thank you sooooo much for repairing Link! I was worried that he'd never be the same again! I owe you one!"  
  
Link had stopped and sat down to watch us before piping up again.  
  
"Where's your SIR?"  
  
"Out in the Voot."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Link looked around, glad to be back, before saying something again.  
  
"I know who did this to me Daft! It was Theros! Him n' his gang attacked me! Tore me apart! It was horrible! At least they didn't get you!"  
  
"Theros? He was the one? Not the Shadow Beast?"  
  
"Shadow Beast?"  
  
I turned from Xen to face Link on the table, "Yes. There was a big, shadowy beast with red eyes that I held responsible. I almost had him too, but he disappeared after the sun came up!"  
  
Looking back at Xen, I expected to ask further questions, but he kept silent. I watched Link as he retold the story of his attack, my anger boild, my fear peaked, and i felt a bit lost. If they could break in silently like that, rip up Link, then leave without me knowing it, then what could they accomplish if they got into the base's brain? I shuddered as Link finished his story.  
  
Suddenly there was a beeping noise from Xen's wrist communicator. A red light flashed as Xen looked down with urgency in his eye.  
  
"My voot! It's under attack! Hold in there Kor!"  
  
Xen rushed out of the room, I followed, Link close on our tails. We rushed outside, pulling out laser guns, ready for battle. Xen rushed outside and fired at the beasts around his Voot. I stopped short at the sight outside at the Voot. Theros was out there, gang and all, in the sunlight, attacking the Voot! How could this be? They were afraid of light last time I checked. I needed to find another weakness, and quick!  
  
Xen hit one on the back, it screeched and turned around. I called Link into battle mode and told him to attack. My spider legs popped out and propelled me up and made me more agile. I swiftly dodged an incoming shower of spikes thrown off by a thin, Thornin from the planet Prickle. Xen, also on his spider legs, went in for a close attack, leading them away from the Voot, calling Kor into Defense mode. I fired again, dodging more attacks, following Xen into his plan. The battle was on and the odds were stacked high against us as it was 


	15. Theros

Chapter 16: Theros *Ok, this chapter might get a little graphic b/c when destroying mosters, it's always fun to describe what happens to them every blow, so forwarned....*  
  
I aim my laser gun at a the Thornin and fire, hitting him on the chest, the laser rips through his skin, shredding the organs as it goes through, bursting out the back sending a splash of green goo against the Voot. Kor leapt out of the Voot and fired several small missiles at the monster on the right, exploding him in a burst of green. Organs splatterd all over the ground as Xen leapt forward, sending a blow to the face of a pudgy Porkpousi, sending his flabber flying to the right, his head following, spining him backwards to fall on his back with a thud. Xen's spider leg came hurling down to pierce into Porkpousi's stomach, driving down into the flesh. The porkpoursi let out a wail of pain as Xen ripped the spiderleg upwards, tearing his fatty skin open in a straight line so all the goo and insides spilled out. Another Thornin fiered a series of thorns at him, two hitting him in his shoulder, knocking him back away from the blubbery carcass.  
  
I turned from slashing another monster to fire at the Thornin, hitting him square in the head. It burst, sending splatters of green and pink flying every which way. A big red eye flew out and landed near my foot as I blocked an oncoming attack with my left arm. There was a stinging sensation as a thorn form a Tornin's attack lodged itself in my left arm. I screamed out, twirling around, loosing my balance and tripping over a piece of junk and falling to land on my back with a thud. The Thornin leapt towards me, standing over me as I looked up, recovering from my fall. He opened his palm and aimed it at me. Suddenly his body was blown away to the left with a sceech. In his place, Xen landed and looked at me before pulling me up. We turned and blocked an incoming attack from two more monsters. Suddenly something slimey wrapped around my waist and pulled me backwards. I dropped my gun as I flew backwards to face what had grabbed me.  
  
I came face to face with a gigantic Theros. He held me up to his face, his tounge wrapped about my waist as he spoke, no londer prolounging his S's now that his tounge was busy.  
  
"Ahhhh....I knew I would see you again."  
  
"You! You ruined my SIR! You'll pay you stupid exile!"  
  
"Really? What a thing to say right now. Have you looked about you? You seem caught in my snare now...don't you think?"  
  
Suddenly, Xen flew in from the right with a sharp blade and swung it downwards on his tounge. Before he could slice through it, another tounge spit out of his mouth, wraping itself around Xen, squeezing him until he lost grip of the blade and dropped it to the ground. He squirmed, olny to cry out in pain as the sharp bumps on Theros's tounge scraped his skin.  
  
"Nice try, but no luck! This is where you fall, my dear invaders! You kind did me wrong. So many years ago that was. Yes. I was the emporor of my planet, Derastt! But then your kind came along and took over. Sure, we thought we could easily beat you, but you were too powerful for us. You overtook our empire and took our planet as your own. I vowed revenge, but my people were brainwashed by your promises and banished me. I came here to rebuild my forces and take my revenge. Yes. But now that you're here to conquer this planet, I can begin phase one of my plan! Useing your skin, I can penetrate your systems and destroy the Armada from the inside out!"  
  
"What?!? You can't do that! I'm still useing my skin!"  
  
"When I get done with you, you'll have no need for it. I'm going to invade your brain and take over your body to use it to my will. After I destroy all these witnesses and reprogram your android, I shall make my move and nothing, NOTHING! Can stop me from crushing the Irkens!"  
  
"That's Impossible! They'll know it's not me!" I say, hoping they will if it happens, my brain spinning for answers. 


	16. Brainworms

*****~~****~~***** INTERMISSION *****~~****~~*****  
  
ok, due to the lack of being able to upload things on this stupid site...*sorry, i luv FFN very very much! yesss...see my tattoo i got (Shows arm w/ tattoo that says FFN 4 EVA) yes! and my tee shirt! gaze upon the mighty tee shirt! I luv FFN! Whooo!* heh heh heh...yeah...i sure love FFN...anyway. I'm sorry that this has been such a slow update...i think i may have put the same chapter up again, but if so, i'll try and fix that ASAP! Lemme Try Something, Let's see if this works...  
  
Chapter 17: Brainworms  
  
Theoros started to laugh as I looked over at Xen who stared at me, trying to send me a message. I saw the backpod, lasers and then, my mind clicked. The mini lasers in the backpod! of course! I nodded as Theros stopped laughing ang eyed us curiously.  
  
"What are you planning?"  
  
I said nothing.  
  
"Fine. It's too late anyway. Soon you'll be nothing but a tool for my plan of the destruction of the Irken kind."  
  
Xen took that opportunity to whip out his laser and cut through the tounge. Theros cried out as the end of the tounge fell to the ground, uncurling itself as Xen landed on his feet, grabbing for his blade. Blood sprayed from Theros's cut toung as he yelled a loud wail of pain and anger. Within moments, three Thornin were upon Xen, tackeling him and holding him to the ground as he struggled. Theros slipped his cut tounge back in his mouth and whipped his tounge around, coming face to face with me as I pulled out my lasers.  
  
He shipped his tounge to the right, uncurling it so i flew into a pile of dirt and junk. I felt my body hit the pile and fall to the ground. He came up to me, lashing me with his tounge, throwing me to the left, lashing again, i flew to the right. I was cut and bleeding as he rolled me over on my back to face him. He opened his mouth and I became mesmerized by a small blueish-white ball of light that formed in the back. It grew larger and larger, filling his whole mouth before it slowly crept out towards me. My eyes opened wide as I watched my fate come towards me slowly in a form of a white-blue light. I awaited what would happen next. 


	17. Dark Seed

Chapter 18: Dark Seed  
  
The light fills my eyes, blanketing everything else in white. My mouth dropps open as the lights falls upon me, hiding both me and Theros in a white ball. Out of the corner of my eye I see Xen rush towards me, being thrown back by the trememdous force of the protective barrier. I loose sight of him as the white overcomes everything in my vision. I can feel myself being drained from the inside as a strange light comes out in a stream from my mouth. It feels as if i'm being turned inside out. Theros, now back to his original size, is standing there, his mouth open, emiting a strange black mixture from his mouth. My essence forms into a purple ball beside his black essence ball. I try to shut my mouth as the two mix, but I have lost all control over my body.  
  
The two balls of essence start to mix and spin around, twisting together to form one giant ball of darkness. My mind spins as I struggle for control of my body as the dark ball spiphens off into a thin stream tipped with a sharp spear. It flies towards me, whisteling in the thick air. I pierce through my throat and penetrates my body. I try to scream out as fiery pain sweeps through me. My world turns black as my head is ripped sharply back, my body floating upright, my arms out on either side, toes pointed down as a black shadowy light burst from my mouth and shot up into the air. I felt my body drop to the ground, the white now a black. Everything became silent.  
  
~Meanwhile~  
  
Xen slashed through the Thornin quickly, and leapt towards Theros to slash through him as a bright white light strated to sheild over them. He leapt up, hitting the barrier and was blown back to watch in horror as the white engulfed Daft and Theros. He cried out, knowing that Theros would win, not ready to accept the loss of Daft. More exiles jumped him as he fought them off, slashing them, ripping them limb from limb as he watched in horror as a Shadowy light ripped throught the top of the white ball and covered it, making it a shadow ball. He screamed out and transformed. Rushing over to where Daft and Theros dropped. He quickly picked up Daft, calling to Link and Kor to follow and sped out of there, running on the shadows, a special talent he had picked up.  
  
~Later (Back @ the base)~  
  
I opened my eyes to find myself staring back into the crimson eyes of the great shadow beast. I sucked in a breath of fear. What was it doing here. I scrambled away quickly as the shadow beast watched. He turned away and the shadows that surrounded him twisted and turned, dissapearing, leaving only Xen standing there staring at me with worry in his eyes.  
  
"Xen? You...You're the shadow beast?"  
  
Xen looked away for a moment at Link and Kor who sat watching in the corner.  
  
"Daft. I meant to tell you, but you didn't need to know yet. I guess I can't hide it any longer. But that's not important. You've been infected with Theros's soul. He'll be able to control you in a minimum of three days. We have to find something to stop it."  
  
"No...We have to tell the Tallest so that they'll be ready for it just in case we can't stop the transformation."  
  
"No! I can't face them."  
  
"What? What do you mean?"  
  
"Nevermind Daft. Don't bring me into the conversation when you report in. I...I can't face them just yet."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
I shrank away from him as he yelled. I knew what I had to do and I needed to get it done and quickly before he got into my brain. I can't let this happen. I won't let it happen. It feels like a nightmare as I walk across to the screen to call up the Almighty Tallest. How will they take this? 


	18. The Clock Ticks On

Chapter 19: The Clock Ticks On...  
  
I pressed the button and brought up the screen, dialing the Almighty Tallest and waiting with my fingers crossed that they would understand and could help. Xen and Kor had left the room and It was only me and Link. Suddenly I was faced by the Tallest themselves. I opened my mouth, feeling a twitching feeling in my arm.  
  
"Invader Daft reporting in, Sirs....There's a problem..."  
  
"Yes? I see that your SIR is up again." Red commented.  
  
"Yes he is, my tallest, but that's not the problem. It turns out that one of our deadlyest opponents is inhabiting this planet. Do you remember the Emporor Theros?"  
  
"Uh...." They stammerd  
  
"Well, he's here. He was banished by his people after they saw how we could help them."  
  
"I don't see what's so bad about that." Purple said.  
  
"Well, he's formed a plan to crush Irk from the inside and has started with his plan. The really horrible thing is that he has....well, he has planned to use my body to crush you silently. He's inside of me right now my Tallest. I can feel him working his way into my brain. Xen estimated that I had 3 days minimum before he totally took control."  
  
"Xen?" Red asked.  
  
I remembered my promise to Xen about not bringing him into this and quickly thought of something.  
  
"Uh, yes. That's my SIR'S name. But that's not important right now. What is, is that if he succeeds, you won't know what hit you when he makes his move through me. I'm telling you this just incase I can't defeat him and flush him from my system. If I do not report back to you with good news, expect him to have taken over my body and do not let me anywhere near the base. If you must, destroy me and my planet immeadiatly. I've given my SIR a secret code that he'll report back to you if Theros succeeds in taking over my body. That's it, I will destroy this evil within and save you from destruction. If I don't I'd just like to say that it has been a pleasure serving under you. Invader Daft, signing out...."~End Transmission~  
  
I sigh as Xen comes back in holding a few strange items in his hand, Kor carrying more behind him.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"They seemed to take it well. At least now they're informed."  
  
"I see. We have to get to work, and quickly. If we find what he did to get in, we can find a reverse spell to make him get out. I need you here because you're the only one who knows just what happened inside that ball of light you were submerged in."  
  
"I see. Let's get to work then."  
  
Xen walked over to a table I had just put up and set down a few holographic instruction manuals and things like that on the table, followed by Kor. He opend a few and we seared through them for the symptoms that I described, finding little. Hourse passed, the sun had set and the three moons rose to shine in the dark sky. For a planet with three moons, it sure did get dark here....  
  
"Aha!"  
  
Xen pointed to a part in one of the books about a essence spell, puppeteering and controling your victim. I leaned over to read it with him, my eyes growing wide as I read it. I could feel a faint twitching in the back of my brain. He was closer than I had thought. What if it only took one day? I was doomed then.  
  
"Does it say anything about a reverse spell?"  
  
"Yes, but it sounds hard."  
  
"What do you have to do?"  
  
"Well, according to this, the only way to reverse it is to have someone do the spell while carrying an essence jar while they're transported into the being. In other words, someone else has to go in, capture the black essence, or Theros, destroy it and rid the body of the virus. Unfortuatly, there' nothing that says that the person who goes in can get out."  
  
"So...If you were to go in, you'd never come out?"  
  
"Correct."  
  
"What if we made an android and sent it in?"  
  
"That wouldn't work. They have no natural essense."  
  
"I see. Then it'd have to be you, wouldn't it..."  
  
"Yes, unfortunatly. But I'll do what ever it takes to make sure that yo...the Irken Empire is safe."  
  
"Yes. That is important. There has to be a way out though."  
  
"There's not one where I've looked."  
  
"Right. I guess it's gonna have to be a one-way mission then."  
  
"Yes. I'm up to it though. Are you?"  
  
"Well, if Irk will be safe then yes. But if it fails, I want Link and Kor to go to oppiset ends of the planet and self destruct, blowing up the planet, me, and Theros's evil plan."  
  
"Yes. I doubt it will come to that though."  
  
"If it should, they know what to do."  
  
"But...I don't want you to leave me Daft!" Link said in a small voice.  
  
I looked down to see him in tears with the thought of me leaving him for good.  
  
"Don't worry Link. Xen knows what he's doing, and if he succeeds, i won't leave you. But...If he does succeed...then he'll...leave...."  
  
I looked over at Kor, worried that he wouldn't want his master to leave either.  
  
"Don't worry Daft. I know that if my Master goes, it is for a good reason. I'm not going to stand in his way. Anyway, if he leaves to fight Theros, and succeeds, he'll always be with us, in your brain."  
  
"Right."  
  
I looked back at Link and hugged him.  
  
"If all comes to all, do it. Blow up the place after telling the Almighty Tallest. I'll miss you, but it's for the sake of Irk. We must not fail now. We've come to far to throw it all away and let Theros win. Do it for me. Do it for Irk. Do it for The Almighty Tallest."  
  
"Should we get on it?"  
  
"Yes. We need to find a essence jar."  
  
"I can make one. You rest. You'll need your strength in case worse comes to worse."  
  
I nod to him and hug Link again, teling him he's the best partner one could ever have. I walk off to the restoration chamber to rest and save engery. Xen goes out with Kor to gather supplies while Link napps beside me. I drift off, searching my mind to find Theros. Almost as soon as I drift off, I find myself experienceing a mental twitch. Suddenly, there's a sharp pain in my neck. I can see him, he's lodged himself in my neck to wait. I roll over moaning with pain. He won't win. I'm gonna keep an eye on his movements while I rest. Subconciously I pray that Xen hurries up. Theros has moved quickly and might even attack my brain today even! Determination runs through him, so does pure evil, making him almost unstoppable in his quest for control and revenge. I pray that it won't belong before we crush him where he stands. 


	19. Time Runs Out

Chapter 20: Time Runs Out  
  
* I hope you're enjoying this so far...i'll try to put up longer chapters since i've had a few suggestions on making my chapters longer. Well, here it goes, wish me luck!*  
  
I lay there waiting, my eyes shut, my brain spinning over everything that's happened. I can't believe it's come down to this. I was born to be an invader. I grew up training to be the best, I lived, breathed, drank, and dreampt of the invasion, I was ready when it came. I held out fine on my own, living up to the standards of my Tallest. I thought I could do this. I actually thought it was easy. That's where I went wrong. If I hadn't thought that it would have been so easy, then I wouldn't have made the mistakes I did. I would have been more alert, Theros wouldn't have lasted long. I knew what I had failed to do. The moment I laid eyes on Theros I knew I had to take him out then and there or be haunted by him and maybe ruin the mission. I had put it off, enjoying my time on this wretched planet that I had so foolishly come to love. Great Invaders don not fall for their planets, they ruthlessly carry out their missions and take over with such speed and force that the inhabitants won't know what hit them.  
  
Sighing, I remember all the times I've shared with Link. He's such a good little android. I could swear he had personality. If he was disfuncional that way, i wouldn't care. Not now. I loved him and I hated the thought of leaving him. If it came down to the final battle and Theros won, I would have to leave him. Then there was Xen, I felt this strange magnetic pull towards him. My mind often wandered off to Xen. Why had he come? Did he know I would be in trouble? If he was the shadow creature and had been there before, then what had happened to his planet since he left it ungaurded? Did they rebuild and return to normal, erasing all his trace of inavsion? What exactally did he want here with me and Link? These questions swarmed around my brainmeats as I lay there, staring into the blackness of my eyelids.  
  
Theros. I could feel him on the move again. He was in my neck and moving towards my brain. He seemed so determined. If Xen didn't get back soon, it would all be over before it started. I tried to drift off to sleep, but found it impossible. My mind kept rushing back to Xen. I gave in and let my mind think about him. It was soothing somewhat and it took my mind of my misfortune and the possible destruction and death ahead.  
  
~meanwhile~  
  
Xen walked out to his Voot, digging in it hurridly looking for bits and pieces to fashion a jar out of. He tossed them into Kor's head which started to whirr and make a buzzing noise as he fashioned one while they were walking. Xen picked up the jar as soon as Kor was done and ran back to the base. He had to hurry and finish the spell on the jar and then start with the one to enter Daft's body and defeat Theros. Time was running out, the hourglass in his mind was down to the last grains and he knew that Theros wouldn't wait three days. Xen entered and started to concoct the spell that would destroy Theros. He knew he had to do it.  
  
Something in him was yelling at him to move while another little piece wanted him to give up and leave her there to end up blowing herself an the planet up. He ignored that part and soon another feeling came over him making him want to cry out to Daft and tell her how he felt, one that wanted to rush right in there and hold her and tell her it'd be ok. He knew he had to destroy Theros, even if that ment that he'd never see her again. She'd see him, yes, he'd be in her, with her every moment, but Xen would just be another body on the floor, while his essence was lost in another being. Where would that put him? Who knew, but he had to take this risk. He had to.  
  
Suddenly there was a cry from the room Daft was in. Xen set Kor to finishing the spell and rushed in to see what was going on.  
  
~~***~~  
  
I cry out as i feel a sharp pain in my neck. He's moving again and i can feel his essence crawing up my spine towards my brainmeats like a slimy snake or worm. I grip my neck and shoot up, Link waking and running over to me. I can feel him slip into my brain as Xen appears in the doorway with a worried look on his face.  
  
"It's In my Brain! It's In my Brain!" I scream Xen's face gets a look of horror to it as he rushes over to my side.  
  
"We've got to hurry up and get to him. Come with me Daft, quickly."  
  
"Aaaaggggghhhhh! I feel him, he's in my brain and he'd begun his control! Quickly!"  
  
I leap up and follow Xen as we run down the halls, I grasp my head. I feel him working his way to the center of my brainmeants and it hurts. I rush into the room where Kor awaits, holding a bottle and a jar. He hands the bottle to Xen and tells him to drink it. Xen empties the body and doubles over in pain.  
  
"Xen!"  
  
"I'm fine! Get ready Theros...I'm coming for you."  
  
I gasp as a sharp pain strikes me through my brain. I loose control of my body and I can feel myself go limp. Before I can hit the ground though, I take backseat to Theros's words and actions as he catches my balance and stands up straight. I want to cry out, but he's taken control. Xen sees this and starts chanting the spell as he grabs the jar and my shoulders. I want to cry out to him that it's too late, but I can't. Theros controls my body. He makes my arms come up and try to push Xen away. Xen grasps my shoulders tightly. I feel the pain of the grasp and cry out. Nothing escapes my lips as a white ball forms around us, enclosing us in a white light. It starts again. Xen backs off and lets his essence out.  
  
A strange light from the jar comes first, forming what looks like a solid ball which is coated with Xen's Red essence. My infected Blackish-Purple essence also comes out, mixing together to coat over the Red essence. Everything goes dark, but I feel as If I'm still away. I'm falling down, down, down, trying to keep control of my consiousness. I feel myself hit the bottom and suddenly I'm in a dark and twisted place of rotting flesh and twisted trees. It's cold and eerie and in the distance I can see Theros hacking away at a part of what looks to be my brain, trying to elimiate my essence permenently. I rush towards him when suddenly Xen appears and slashes his back open.  
  
I run towards them both but find myself crashing into the ground from tripping over my own feet. Curse my clumbsiness... I look up and watch as the battle starts. The one battle that will either end my life, or begin a new one for me. I start to get up as more attacks are made. Brushing myself off i stand there and watch as it begins. This will decide my fate and the fate of my superiors... 


	20. Puppets

Chapter 21: Puppets  
  
*Caution! This might get a bit, well, descriptive...BTW, I think I'll do this one in omninecent view instead of first person limited...*  
  
Xen slashed downwards on Theros's back, causing him to cry out in pain and spin around. He growled and slashed at Xen with his large claws, his tounge whipping out from the right to lash him again. Xen dodged the claws and barely dogded the sudden tounge attack. Xen cried out angrily as the tounge caught his leg, ripping it open a bit. Xen furiously unleashed his wrath upon Theros. With lightening speed, Xen dodged from shadow to shadow, striking quickly and returning to the shadows. The confused Theros twirled around after Xen each time he slashed at him. Theros called him a coward, but Xen ignored this and kept attacking. Every snicker of his double blade thundred in Daft's ears as she ran towards them, finding that she couldn't get though an invisible barrier to help Xen. Blood flew from Theros as Xen dug his blade deep in his back. Before he could pull it out, Theros's tounge flickered around to the side and lashed Xen in the side. He cried out as his blood spilled forth to the ground as Xen stumbled back in pain. Theros spun around yet again and, with the double blade lodged in his back, slashed down at the unprotected body of Xen. Daft cried out in shock and threw herself at the invisible barrier, only to thud against it like a fly on glass. Theros tore open Xen's arms with his angry claw slashes while Xen blocked. Blood spilled from them and splashed up against Theros.  
  
Daft cried out again, her heart sinking as Theros continued his beating, using only his tounge and laughing. Xen was thrown to and fro, bleeding from several cuts. Daft beat her fists up against the barrier keeping her apart from the fight. She took out a laser gun and stood back, aiming at the wall. Fiering, the shot was absorbed by the barrier. Daft, in an emotional frustration, fiered again and again at the wall, hoping it would give way in time. Theros stopped lashing Xen and stepped back to view his enemy. He sneered and watched as Xen lay there, glaring at him from his bloody position on the ground.  
  
"Pathetic. Give it up. There'ssssssss no way to win!"  
  
Xen, not answering, moved his eyes towards his double blade lodged deep within the beast's back. He had to get it out, it was the only weapon that might do any damage on him. Theros laughed at his pain, seemingly not to notice, or maybe he had forgotten about, the blade in his back. Xen, in a quick move, leapt up, grabbing a fallen, twisted branch from a rotting tree nearby and swung it at Theros, catching him off gaurd. The wood hit Theros in the face, snapping it backwards and to the left, spittle and blood flying from the wound inflicted upon him by the branch. There was a crunching sound as some of the hard cartilage and small bones snapped in Theros's face as he was sent tumbling backwards. He fell back on the blade, pushing it through his body, becoming impaled upon it. The sharp metal thrust through the other side of him in a shower of blood and tissue. Theros screamed out at this pain that took his body into a flaming inferno of pain. Xen leapt away as the blood flew, getting only a few drops of the acidic blood on him. Daft fiered in a deep rage, running out of ammo and dropping the gun. Something within her brain snapped as this battle took place. She fell against the barrier and pounded on it, shouting to Xen. Her voice was absorbed as the shots had been, never reaching Xen's ears.  
  
Theros lay still, blood seeping from his wound. Xen cautiously approached him, nudging him with his toe to see if he was alive. Theros lay perfectly stil, not breathing, a blank look on Theros's eyes. Daft wanted to believe that it was over, but she knew it was far from over. Xen reached over to pull out his blade when Theros's tounge became active and wrapped itself around Xen, leaping up and pulling the blade from his wound slowly, spilling more blood on the soiled ground below. Theros laughed and dropped the blade before chucking Xen away from him towards Daft. Xen hit the barrier and slid down it, a bloody trail sliding down behind him. The barrier absorbed the blood and seemed to glow with the color of it. Daft screamed and threw herself at the barrier, trying to get through and pull Xen in away from Theros. Theros jumped up and landed in front of Xen, walking slowly towards him. Daft screamed out his name. The wall absorbed it as well, though at this close distance, it seemed to reach Xen's ears. He turned his head to see Daft, his eyes going wide with the exception of the left eye which was beginning to swell, now purple in color. His lips moved, the words barely reaching Daft's ears.  
  
"We Will Win."  
  
Xen turned just as Theros's tounge shot out at him. Xen leapt away from the spot, Theros's tounge connecting to the barrier. The barrier tried to absorb it, finding that it couldn't, it rejected the tounge, sending it back at the person who threw it. Xen rolled away from Theros, rolling between his legs and leaping up to grab his blade and swing it towards Theros again. Theros dodged the blow as Xen's blade swished through the air at him. Theros shot out his tounge, almost catching Xen with it again, but missing as Xen ducked. Daft sucked in her breath, silently cheering for Xen as they fought. The blood flew, Theros becomeing terribly slashed open. Xen slashed sideways, catching the ribcage of the beast, tearing it open. Blood and Tissue spewed forth form the wound and left the insides of the moster exposed. Daft looked in seeing blackened organs, rotted bones admitst a sea of slime. Theros slashed out at Xen, catching his arm, splitting it wide open revealing the bones. Xen cried out and dodged his tounge again, slashing Theros again sending him spiraling backwards.  
  
Daft watched hopefully as the battle turned towards Xen's advantage. Suddenly things started taking a turn for the worst. Theros sent Xen tumbling backwards into a rotting tree, snaping it in half, almost making it fall on the bleeding Xen. Theros began to slash and throw Xen to and fro like a rag doll again. Xen focused on fighting unconsiousness as he was thrown about. Daft screamed and punded upon the barrier. She watched as Xen was beaten and battered, his blood spilling in pools, bones and muscel beginning to show beneath torn flesh. His clothes became ragged with the lashing tounge. Daft threw herself against the barrier, the barrier absorbing all her hits, glowing with the energy she put into them. She sunk down, sliding downt he barrier to collapse at the bottom to watch as Theros stepped up to the partially unconcious body of Xen. daft felt the sobs come again as her heart sunk. She began to think of the past times.  
  
Such fun she had had, trying to conquer this strange planet of hazzards. She knew that they would have to blow up the planet now. Theros was winning. It was the end of them all. Link knew what to do. Deliver a message and then blow it up. She knew this was the end. As Theros stood over Xen, smirking, Daft started to cry. The tears rolled down her cheeks and stung her skin. This was it. It was all over now... 


	21. Death Becomes Us: A New Light

Chapter 22: Death Becomes Us: A New Light  
  
Theros lifts Xen up with his tounge to face him, a sneer on his face as he looks at the weak invader.  
  
"Do you really think that a puny Irken like you could defeat me?"  
  
"I can try."  
  
"But you will fail. Well, say goodbye, this is the end, Irken."  
  
"Don't I get any last words?"  
  
"Why not? They can't save you now anyway."  
  
Xen started to chant something. Theros stared at him as he repeated the chant twice more. Before Xen could finish, Theros roared as he realized it was a reversal-containment spell. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in is chest. Xen had lodged his double blade once again into him, but deeper this time and continued with the rest of the spell, Theros dropped him and Xen brought out the jar. There was a rumbling sound from underneath Theros as Xen stood there backing away, holding the jar pointed towards Theros with a wry grin on his brusied and cut up face. Daft looked up, regaining hope as Theros started to fade away and become drawn into the jar. Theros, desterate to mortally injure his enemy or at least kill him as a last revenge for his undoing. In a last attempt, Theros let out his secret weapon. Opening his mouth, he shot out a blast of black light towards Xen, it hit him, going through him surprisingly. Xen, not feeling any pain looked around and grinned. He believed that the jar was taking his energy and he could no longer harm him. Just as Thero's head started to dissapear and be drawn into the jar, he smiled. Daft shouted to Xen, her words never reaching his ears.  
  
The black light regrouped behind and above Xen, forming a long, shiny, black spear, tipped with the sharpest point Daft had ever seen. She screamed out agian and again, all her words becoming absorbed in the barrier. Just as Theros went into the jar and the spear hurteled itself downwards towards the unsuspecing Xen, the barrier broke as the world started to drain away into whiteness. Daft fell through the barrier as it dissapeared, her words finally reaching Xen. He looked over his shoulder just in time to see the black spear drive into him. Daft cried out as the point of the spear slammed into his back, burrowing into his skin and through his body. It curved upwards and thrust through the other side in a mass rain of blood and tissues. Xen's eyes became wide as the spear slid through him, lifting him off the ground and dissapeared into white nothingness. Xen's body dropped as Daft ran to it, screaming out his name, tears stinging her cheeks. She fell on her knees by his side. He lay on the white ground staring up at her. Fear filled her as she looked down at his gaping wound.  
  
Daft reached out her hand to touch him, her mouth agape as Xen moved his hand up and put it on her lips to silence her from further talk. Daft became filled with a strange feeling, staring at his broken and bleeding body laying in the whiteness. Xen looked up at her through eyes that were filled with the same emotion. He bagan to speak.  
  
"Daft. We won. You're gonna be alright and the mission is too. You are free to honor the Tallest by finishing your mission. Kor will know what to do, now that I'm gone."  
  
"But what about your planet? What about YOUR mission?"  
  
"About that Daft...I did have a mission, a long time ago that is. I failed. I couldn't face the Tallest, for they thought I had died. I came here because I thought I could live alone and in peace, far away from my desertion and failure. Then you came to take over the planet. I thought I could try to scare you away, until I saw who it was. Daft, I....I think...I think I have feelings for you."  
  
Daft stared deeply into his eyes, knowing.  
  
"I became kind of obsessed with checking in on you. You're such a great invader, Daft, that I wanted to see how you did it. I guess that's why I hung around instead of fleeing to another planet. The shadow beast you saw was me, the smaller one you chased in your base was Kor. We had to adapt on the planet of Shadows, so we learned how to disguise ourselves as the shadows themselves and learned how to shadow travel, or move amung the shadows. It was really wonderful. I thought I could succeed. I guess I was wrong though."  
  
"No Xen, one mistake isn't failing. Also, you saved the Irken Empire!"  
  
"No Daft, you saved it. I was merely a Pawn."  
  
"But, you were right here! You fought and destroyed it! You saved us all!"  
  
"Yes, but when you report back, keep me out of it. Say it was you. They shall build a memorial to you. You'll be forever remembered as a great Invader. Don't you want that Daft? Why would you want a failure like me up in the memorials?"  
  
"You aren't a failure Xen. You aren't."  
  
Xen winced as he moved his head to look at her. He smiled weakly and looked at her deeply. His blood poured out of his body in great gushes, staining Daft's uniform as she knelt there beside him, holding onto his hand tightly.  
  
"Daft, you can go on now. Finish your mission and become the great Invader that you've always wanted to be, always have been."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No Buts Daft. I...I think it's time for me to go now. I just wanted to say that...that..."  
  
Xen's body shuddred as Xen coughed, blood and mucas coming up his throat and out on the ground as he turned his head to avoid coughing on Daft.  
  
"I love you, Invader Daft."  
  
With that Xen shut his eyes and lay back against the white ground, stained with his blood. Daft started to cry again as she shouted out to him, thowing herself on his body, grasping him and holding him to her as he started to fade into the white nothingness. She cried out again and again, tears pouring down her cheecks, stinging and steaming. Daft became blind with tears as she screamed over and over again, wishing it wouldn't end this way. Xen's wieght slowly deterierated as he faded, leaving her alone in the own dark reaches of her mind. Daft fell to the stained ground, sobbing over Xen now that he was completley gone. His blood soaked her uniform as she lay there, tears streaming down like never-ending rivers.  
  
~**~**~**~  
  
I stood there watching the sun come up from my window. Xen's body had long since deterierated. Kor and Link sat around, staring blanklly ahead, not knowing what to do next. I had watched as half an hour ago, upon waking from my mind, as Xen started to crumple up and turn to dust. There appeared a large hole in his stomach, like in my mind. I watched silently as his body crumpled, sagged, and deterierorated, turning to dust before completley vanishing. Kor had been silent, saluting his master until he had completley gone. Link and I had stood in a silent salute as well. When he was gone, I had turned, walking to the window and looking out. I had been that way since then. I wanted to report, but knew I couldn't in this condition. He was gone. I loved him, and he had gone. I didn't know if I could go though with anymore. I shuddered as I felt new sobs coming on. I was acting so, In-Irken...it was scary. Emotions, we weren't generically produced with any emotions except that of anger and determination. We were only to experience hate towards other races and superiority to ourselves. We were the surpreame beings, nothing could harm us emotionally. Somehow I was able to feel emotions though and I wondered why. I wished that I could feel none, not even anger, then I wouldn't have been in such pain. After a while I sighed and turned towards the screen. It was time to report in and reaccount everything to reassure the Tallest.  
  
Walking up to the screen seemed to take forever, but the Tallest appeared so quickly on the screen afterwards that it sort of blew my mind. I sucked in a deep breath and began. 


	22. 22 Inches

Chapter 23: 22 Inches  
  
I opened my mouth to speak to the Tallest.  
  
"Sirs. It is done. This is the end. Theros has been defeated and it was all because of Xen. My Tallest, Xen has saved you and the Irken Empire from Total Destruction."  
  
"Xen? But, he...died..." Purple said.  
  
"No Sirs, He was very much alive. Xen only faked his death because he thought he had failed. He came to this planet to recover and become a better Invader before returning again to recapture his planet. We met up and Theros attacked, invading my brain. Xen went in and fought him to the death, defeating him for good. My Tallest, Xen has also died, but he has died protecting the good of my mission as well as you and the Irken Empire. It was a long and bloody battle, but he came out the winner before dieing. My Tallest, I have finished my mission and this foul planet is now ready for you to take over. I await your arrival."  
  
"Good job Invader Daft. We shall be there soon. Just tie up the loose ends and we're on our way." Red said.  
  
"When you get back for the honorary Life Sweep First Volley Ceremony, we shall announce yours and Xen's victory."  
  
"Thank you my tallest. I await that day with anticepation. Invader Daft, Sighning out."  
  
I sigh and fall back onto a comfy chair and twirl it from side to side as I think. This is almost over now. I wonder what It'll be like up on the stage, fiering the first Life Sweep Volley...Sighing I close my eyes to think of Xen. Link walks up to me and looks at me. I smile weakly.  
  
"Well master, I guess this is it huh?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Well, you still have me..."  
  
"And me too." Piped up Kor from the corner, "I wish to stay with you and Link."  
  
"Ok. You can stay Kor. We wouldnt mind the least."  
  
I smiled a weak smile as Link started to dance around singing a happy tune from his head radio thing. I smiled and laughed as things started to warm up. This would be a slow half a year, but it should be a great one. I yawned as I thought again of Xen. He would have loved to be here. What would it have been like if he would have lived? What future would we have together? I sighed and thought of his handsom face. I never had another chance to return his love. He would always be with me, in heart and mind. I closed my eyes listening to Link and Kor sing and dance merrily as the sun set and the three moons appeared on the horizon, full and bright with a pale white light. I waited. 


	23. Dreams

Chapter 24: Dreams  
  
I sighed and looked around. Everything was so pretty here. I wondered where I was as I walked through the Irken Countryside. A gentle breeze whispered over my skin as I walked through the grass. What was I doing back on Irk? Wasn't I supposed to be on my planet? What had happened. I heard footsteps come softly behind me. I turned to see Xen walk up to me. He seemed healed, whole, solid. What was going on? I stopped and waited for him. He walked over to me and stood there in front of me, staring into my eyes. I opened my mouth to say something but found no words to express my feelings. He smiled and I shut my mouth.  
  
"Long time, no see."  
  
It was true. It had been three months since the fight. I opened my mouth to speak but he went on.  
  
"I heard what happened. I'm glad that you're done with this planet. I can't wait for you to head off the first volley of the Life Sweep. It's an honor."  
  
"Yes, but I wish that you would be there too..."  
  
"I heard that the Tallest have something in store for you..."  
  
"How did you..."  
  
"Well, I'll be seeing you there. Have fun and good luck."  
  
"Wait! Don't leave me again!"  
  
"Don't worry about it. I'm not really leaving you for good."  
  
"But...I mean, you're..."  
  
"Here."  
  
He handed me something. It was small and had soft blue petals. The stem was green and fuzzy and the center was a golden yellow.  
  
"Forget me not, Daft..."  
  
With that he faded, leaving me by myself in the field, holding the flower and staring ahead painfully.  
  
***~~~***  
  
I awoke to the strange lights of the Restoration Chamber. When my eyes opened, I half expected to see Xen there, waiting for me to wake up, but I didn't. Only a dream. It was only a dream, much to my dispise. I stretched, getting up and leaving the Chamber to wander over to the 'living room' of my base. When I entered, I was faced with the rising sun through a one-way window of my base. I really didn't need the disguise anymore, but it was good to keep it on just in case. It had been three months since that fatefull battle and with the dawn of each day I felt more and more alone. Sometimes I felt half crazy, other times I felt so sick I wanted to die. I keep telling myself that there's only three more months before they arrive and I'm taken away to become a hero, but it rarely works to cheer my up any.  
  
Link and Kor have been getting along just fine, keeping daily patrols about the planet, making sure things were secure. We have had a lot of time to relax, and even more time to think and miss Xen. The tallest have checked in on me twice every month to make arrangements and see if things were still ok. I tell them that everything is fine here, yet it feels as if I'm lying to them. It's not fine. Things here are so bad we're all going slowly crazy. The planet has been kind of quiet, unusually quiet. I figure it's because Theros is gone, but part of me insists it's because they're planning revenge upon me for the destruction of their leader. Link and Kor just shake their heads, salute and tell me that they're ready for anything. Only three months to go. Three month's isn't such a long time. No. That's a lie. Three months is a very long time when you're going crazy slowly...  
  
***~~~***  
  
The wind blew across the field as I stood there, holding the small blue flower. Our sun was so bright, and the field was so lushious that I started to doubt it was even and Irken field. Could it be that I have forgotten my own planet? Have I been away that long? No...now that I think of it, I haven't forgotten my planet. We don't have fields. My planet was filled with buildings and technical things. We have filled our planet to the brim with technical things, training skools, testing centers, labratories, mechanical workshops, the whole works. We didn't have the privilages of the timless beauties of trees and meadows and flowers. If this wasn't Irk...then where was this? I started to look around more closely, trying to identify the ground I was on.  
  
The field went on for miles, the sky was a bright blue, white clouds passed over the blue, the wind moving them and mixing them with the sky. The grass was green and tall, littered with little flowers of all colors. In the distance there stood a small grove of trees. Beyond that? Who knew. I squinted my eyes against the sun and stared towards the grove of trees. There was someone standing there. If only I could make out who it was. If only I could distinguish enemy from friend. My feet started to walk, taking me towards the grove of trees. A strong magnetic force pulled upon my heart as I ran towards the grove, a deep pain in my heart as the figure became clearer. As I ran, the grove seemed to get farther and farther away, almost as if the more I ran forward, the farther it would go. Maybe if I ran backwards, it would come closer. But even as I tried to stop and go the otherway, I couldn't. My feet kept me running towards the always far away grove of trees and the mysterious figure. In my hand I clutched the blue flower Xen had given me. Suddenly, I felt a falling sensation as I triped over something invisable in my way. I fell towards the ground, waiting to feel the ground against my skin as I hit the surface.  
  
***~~~***  
  
I sat up suddenly as I smashed into the ground, not of the field, but of the base. Groaning, I picked myself up and looked around, eyes adjusting to the somewhat dim surroundings of the base. Shaking my head I realized the incoming transmission. Standing up and dusting myself off, I rushed over, holding my head and recived the transmission. The Tallest appeared on the screen, smiles upon their face, enjoying themselves and the new victory for them.  
  
"Good Evening Sirs..." I said  
  
"Yes. Good Evening Invader Daft. We'd just like to see how you're doing so far." Red said.  
  
"All goes well, my Tallest. No new changes here."  
  
"Good. Good. Now, we're reaching the final stages of the ceremony planning and we've made a few changes." Red said.  
  
"Yes. Like we're going to be serving nachos too!" Purple commented.  
  
"Yes. Yes. Nachos..." Red said, the two of them licking their lips.  
  
"Nachos ARE good...but as you were saying my Tallest?" I said, waiting to hear what they were going to say.  
  
"Oh, yes. Well, now that I think of it, those are the only things we've changed. Hmmm...So anyway...Good luck, we'll be there soon. Good job Invader Daft." Red and Purple ended.  
  
"Thank you my Tallest. Invader Daft, Over and Out."  
  
Ending the transmission, I slumped back in my chair and spun it back and forth as I had done the first time I had reported to the Tallest after the fight. The fight. Why can't I stop thinking about that dumb fight? Argh! I hate it when my mind keeps coming back to things. It's hard for me to get my mind off things once I start thinking about them. It was almost as if I felt as if I were responsible for Xen's death, and in some ways I was. If I hadn't of been overly confident when I first encountered him and had destroyed him then, maybe Xen would still be here. Thinking of Xen made my heart sink lower than it had been in the past months. From the doorway I heard a voice.  
  
"Are you ok Master?" Link asked, coming over and looking up at me.  
  
"Yes. I am Link. Thank you. That was the Tallest and they're on their way. They're serving nachos now instead of cocktail weenies..."  
  
"Good choice! Will we be able to come to the party as well?" Kor asked, standing next to Link.  
  
"I don't know. I want you guys to come."  
  
"Daft?"  
  
"Yes, Kor?"  
  
"What'll happen to me when we get back? Will I be able to stay with you and Link?"  
  
I opened my mouth to speak, but then shut it, beginning to think. What WOULD happen to Kor? Invaders are issued only one S.I.R unit, and they usually keep them for the rest of their missions until they retire or are destroyed. Then the S.I.R unit usually goes back into rotation if it's in good condition, and if not, they just put it in the junk pile. Would they take Kor from me and put him in the scrap heap or back in rotation with a new memory chip? Kor waited for my answer.  
  
"I.....I don't really know Kor....I wish I could tell you, but I don't know." I responded.  
  
"I see. That's ok. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."  
  
Yes. We would all have to wait and see what would happen. Unknown to us at the time, we were all in for a long and perilous journey. What it would bring us, we could only find out later. We were unknowingly on the brink of the most heart wrenching and mind twisting journey of our existance. We can only hope for the best now. 


	24. Life Sweep

Chapter 25: Life Sweep  
  
The months passed by as Link, Kor and I awaited the Tallest and our ceremony. Finally the day came when the Transmission came with the news of the Tallest's arrival. Joyous, Link and Kor danced about, and I was soon to join in, my spirits becoming lifted in the excitement of finally completing my first mission. Not only had I taken over the planet I set out to conquer, but I also saved the Irken Race from total destruction. With help from Xen of course. The ceremony would not only include the Life Sweep, but also the unveiling of something that the Tallest had promised to be very exciting indeed. On top of all that, there was the promise of a new mission. If only Xen could be here...  
  
Xen. Another touchy subject. I missed him so much, but you already knew that if you've been paying attention and all. If only he could be here. If only he could be here to have another chance. To have another chance with me. I frown, suddenly remembering his planet that he had abandoned after that one deadly mistake. What had that mistake been? What had happened to that planet? My eyes widened as I realized what I had forgotten long ago in the heat of battle. I had agreed to help Xen in anyway I could, yet he had never given me instructions on what all to do! He had never asked anything in return for fixing Link, and on top of all that, he had given up his life for mine and the sake of the mission. For all that, what had I ever done for him? Nothing. It hurt me to think about it, but right then and there, I knew what I had to do.  
  
In a few hours, I would have to go and meet the Tallest and the ceremony would start. If I could get them to change whatever mission they had in store for me to Xen's abandoned mission. Then I could go and make everything right, conquering the planet in the name of Xen and the Irken kind. Grinning at this thought, I started to pick up my pace and get things ready to go. I could hardly stand the excitement building up in me at the thought of making everything right and paying back Xen.  
  
***~~~***  
  
Link, Kor, and I boarded the Voot and took off for the large Mother Ship that hovered just above the planet's atmosphere. Within a few minuets we had landed, and were on our way to meet the Tallest in person for the before-hand, last minuet changes. The guards showed me into the large chamber where I was greeted heartily by the Almighty Tallest themselves. It was such an honor to shake their hand and be within their actual presence that I almost forgot to request the change of my mission. When things slowed down a bit and we were discussing my new mission, I brought it up, prepared with reasons to support my reasoning that I was sure seemed crazy to them at the moment.  
  
"My Tallest? May I request a change of Mission?" I asked.  
  
"To what? You don't even know what mission we're going to be giving you just yet." Purple said confused.  
  
"I know my Tallest, but you see, I have a new mission in mind that will set things right for you and hopefully erase any feelings of hate towards Xen."  
  
"Xen...yes..." Red said.  
  
"Please my Tallest. Don't put him down for he sacrificed his life for the mission and for your safety. He did many great things, even if he did screw up his mission. It is his mission that I have come to talk about. It is his mission that I would like to take on, or at least his planet I would like to visit and clear the very trace of his existence from its surface so it causes you no shame..."  
  
The Tallest looked at each other and then back at me, pausing. The moment of silence was somewhat awkward. Finally they broke it.  
  
"Invader Daft. You are a very fine Invader, and we'd like to give that mission to you, but we've already sent someone down there to pick up the pieces and start over where....Xen?....left off." Red informed me.  
  
I stared at him for a moment.  
  
"Who? I mean...I....I am sorry my Tallest...I hoped to make it up to Xen by finishing his mission."  
  
"It's understandable Invader Daft, but we have already sent someone there. Not to worry though, you're going to be given a mission on the Planet of Wonderful Things!" Purple informed me.  
  
"We've mapped that one out to be an amusement park!" Red added.  
  
"Yes. I understand my Tallest. Thank you. I shall accept this mission with great enthusiasm."  
  
"Great! Now, let's go. We must start the ceremony!"  
  
With that they escorted me out and onto a large balcony, a sea of green below. Thousands of Irkens looked upwards and cheered as we came out on the balcony next to the cannons. I put on a look of importance and played my part the best I could.  
  
***~~~***  
  
We were halfway through the ceremony when we came to the part of the first volley of the Life Sweep. The Irkens below cheered noisily in anticipation and I walked over to the cannon. The Tallest stood on either side of me, watching out the window as the rest of the crowd watched the happenings on a giant screen that unfolded below the balcony, giving them the view that we had from the balcony. Grasping the handles of the cannon, I took a deep breath, watching my planet for few seconds. The others waited for the signal, positioned around the planet, laser cannons ready and operative. My thoughts were turned toward Xen.  
  
This is for you Xen...  
  
I let the cannon fire, a long pinkish-purple beam came out of it and smashed into the planet below me, signaling thousands of other lasers to shoot out and into the planet. The sky was lit up brightly as the lasers struck the surface of the planet, blowing up bits and pieces of it as they tattooed out the Irken symbol on its skin. Standing back, I watched the destruction, showing only Irken emotions towards the planet, yet on the inside, I was crying for it. There was a certain beauty to the planet under all that junk. A kind of Rustic Beauty that made me wonder about the purpose of this mission. We were destroying such beautiful planets in our quest for galactic conquest and I started to wonder then if maybe this whole thing was pointless. We were destroying works of art, no matter how strange they were, and all in the name of two tall leaders with a goal to rule the universe. Was this necessary? I shuddered at the thought and pushed it away. This was not the time to challenge the word of the Tallest. Besides, I was supposed to be an Invader, not a hapless sack of emotions!  
  
The rest of the ceremony followed and I displayed all the right Irken emotions, trying not to let out any more than I had to. It was dangerous to feel emotions. They wouldn't understand if I were to show any. They'd wonder. They'd speculate. Things would follow that were worse than compromising a mission. So I kept my emotions to myself, even at the end of the ceremony when they unveiled a statue. I bit my lip to keep the tears inside. The statue was a stony gray metal, shiny, yet dull and powerful looking. On it stood two Irken soldiers that were familiar to me. Xen and I stood, immortalized in stony metal, for all generations to gaze upon. In the bottom, words were carved.  
  
'To honor the great Invaders who risked everything to save the honor of the Irken Empire and the Almighty Tallest themselves. We shall never forget the brave Invader Xen who died in battle protecting the mission and Invader Daft who went on to finish it, saving the Irken Empire and bringing this planet to their knees before the Might of the Tallest."  
  
The statue was to adorn the grounds on which we claimed for the Irken Empire's new Museum of Greatness. It would be one of many things that adorned the halls of the museum, honoring the brave Irken Invaders who had fought in the Great Wars of the North and those who had conquered different planets and also the Tallest themselves and their accomplishments. I felt both honored and bitter about the dedication of the statue. I kept it inside though and acted as if I were the most honored Irken since Kie, the first Irken ever to finish his mission. Things slowly wrapped themselves up and when it was all done, we had a few hours to mingle and talk. I walked down through the crowd to my friends to try and pick things back up with them.  
  
It felt off and awkward as I stood with them, chatting, trying to be normal again. My friends stared at me wide-eyed and congratulated me every five seconds. The conversation started off with the progress of the others, but always turned back to 'How I Conquered My Planet and Saved The Irken Empire One Handedly Without Tripping.' It was weird and I grew tiered of repeating the tale.  
  
"Invader Daft! I'm so surprised that you actually finished the mission! To tell the truth, none of us thought you'd make it, what with your clumsiness and all. Please forgive us, we've been sadly mistaken by your skill. You haven't tripped once since you came back!" Sid said with wide eyes.  
  
"Now that you mention it, I haven't tripped in a while." I replied.  
  
"Daft! Daft! Tell me again how you defeated that evil Theros!" Chi, a small Invader-in-training yelled.  
  
"I already told it..."  
  
"Puh-leeeassse?!"  
  
"Fine. Well, it kinda started out when Link was dismantled."  
  
"Link is your robot slave...right?"  
  
"Yes...uh....yeah...robot slave...heh...anyway, Xen came to visit and his ship was attacked..."  
  
And so I told the story yet again to Chi, even though she had heard it a zillion times already. Chi had stuck by me the whole night since I came down to join the festivals. She was a tiny little Invader-in-training with large red eyes and two little yellow bows in her antennas. She looked up at me from time to time with her big eyes full of wonder and admiration. She was such a cute little thing, and yet, she felt so distant from the last time I had seen her. Chi had lived in my Complex and had always tagged along with me until I had been chosen for the Invader Finals and was shipped off to the other side of the planet for Final Training. When I came back, a certified Invader, she had practically clung to me, always asking about being an Invader. That was such a long time ago though. Things felt different here, so distant and kind of foreign. Was it supposed to feel this way?  
  
I was soon allowed to leave, to return for a week of rest to my own apartment before my new mission started. I looked forward to seeing it again, and yet...  
  
"Daft?" Chi interrupted my thoughts.  
  
"Yes Chi?"  
  
"What are you gonna do until you go away again?"  
  
"I don't know. I guess I'll rest and catch up with some of the new technology. I have to be prepared to use some of it on my new mission. It would also be good to go to the library and see what maps and information they have on this new planet."  
  
"Can I come with you Daft? I want to be an Invader too! Is it fun?"  
  
"It's tough work Chi. There are some fun parts about it, but only if you do everything right the first time, which is very hard." I said thinking of my mistakes with my planet.  
  
"I'm not afraid Daft! I'll be able to make it! Pretty soon I'm gonna be old enough to start Invader Training Skool! Then you'll see, Daft, I'll be a great Invader...Just Like you!"  
  
Just Like Me.... 


	25. The End Is Just the Beginning

Chapter 26: The End Is Only The Beginning  
  
Green and blue met my eyes, the wind blew across my skin, across my face. I opened my eyes to the sight of the field again. For the past week it has been haunting my dreams. Here I was again. With every dream something new arose, some change, some little thing was different every time. The dream had started out as just me and Xen in a field with a blue sky and a breeze. Now I had clouds, flowers, a grove of trees in the distance, deeper blue sky beyond that, and something that I could not yet make out to the right of that. The figure always became clearer and I always ran towards it, only to stumble and fall on my face and out of my dream. This time the feeling was different. I felt something on me, something blowing in the wind. When I reached my hand up to examine what it was up there I discovered hair. Deep black hair with bluish highlights. It wasn't very long, but it was long enough for me to be able to hold it in my hand and bring it to my face. I wondered why I might have hair and came to discover a different outfit than my new Invader's outfit. Instead of the shirt that tapered down in front and back, the sides shorter, that hooked into the skirt in the front center by a small icon of the Irken symbol, I wore a simple white tank with jeans and a longer black shirt over the white tank.  
  
Puzzling over this, I found myself looking down at the now visible tiny blades of grass. They were so clear, and so realistic, yet they were almost not there in their ways, for if I looked hard enough, the edges were blurred towards the bottom. Thus I figured that it was still a dream and that I wasn't in that field. Again, in my right hand I held the small blue flower Xen had given me. In the distance I saw a figure. Instantly my feet started to run towards it, my heart telling me to hurry, my brain telling me to stop and walk. My feet were like two other beings and ran on, even when I told them to stop. I fought myself knowing that I'd only fall again and end up waking.  
  
The trees receded in the distance, teasing me, the figure growing ever smaller. Then I wasn't alone. Someone was there beside me, racing along with me. My eyes slid to the side, yet it was far enough into my blind side that I couldn't see who it was unless I turned my head. Yet my head wouldn't turn. No, I was powerless over my body as I ran on towards my destination, ever growing more and more distant. Then I felt my feet tripping over themselves and I knew that once again I would be falling. Once again I would hit the ground, dropping the flower, falling into waking. Once again I knew that it was all over and that I would never reach the end. Closing my eyes, I waited to be awoken from this dream and brought back into existence. I felt a sort of ripping feeling, like that of which you feel upon waking from a dream where you've fallen. Opening my eyes I sat up.  
  
Morning. Early morning. Early morning in this small apartment of mine, room enough for me, my training equipment and a few pieces of furniture. I shook my head and lay back down against the pillow, staring at the wired ceilings. A dim light comes from one of the building's outside 'crime prevention' lamps. The light pours through the system of thin metal shutters used to keep most of the world out and you in, keeping distractions away from you as you studied and became a greater Invader in the knowledge department. It was almost saddening to awake from that beautiful place and into this dreary little hole of old memories. Sighing I closed my eyes to drift back to sleep.  
  
Almost as soon as I had shut my eyes, I heard something from the front room of the house. I rolled out of bed silently, and snuck into the front room, laser that I had pulled from under my pillow ready to kill the intruder if all came to all. Two small bodies came into view and using my night-vision goggles, I identified two S.I.R units, sitting together, working over a small electrical thing that glowed with an eerie blueish-green light. I blinked and pulled off my goggles, lowering my laser.  
  
"Link? Kor? What are you doing here? I thought you guys were taken for repairs!"I exclaimed coming up to them and peering over at their work.  
  
"Daft! Hi! We got out of that old repair shop thingy! It was too crowded and what we've got here is more important!"Link said cheerily, poking the device with a built-in screwdriver.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We've been receiving messages all night from different places from Link's head. We were able to sneak out of the repair shop and I broke into Link's mind to see where it was coming from. We've traced it to a distant galaxy. We couldn't decipher it from the weak signal in Link's head, so we took this little tracking device."Kor explained.  
  
"We figure that if we were to put it into Kor here, we'd be able to amplify it and figure out what it is. It sounds really important and it's just begging to be discovered. Something this weak has to be of great importance and over a great distance away!"Link said turning the device on.  
  
"Such a strong signal from such a far away planet in that faraway galaxy it's been transmitted from means that it's pretty advanced technology."Kor said opening his head.  
  
"So we figure that even if the signal is weak, it's strong and advanced to be able to reach us on Irk. It's probably an Irken signal because..."Link started, installing the device in Kor's head.  
  
"We're the only ones with that powerful of technology...." I finished, amazed at their findings.  
  
"Yes! That's it exactly. We're wondering what that signal is doing trying to reach us. None of the other S.I.Rs were in there complaining about it and no one has picked it up on the waves but us."Kor said, shutting off a few things in his brain for a bit.  
  
"So it's like whoever it is that's transmitting the signal is directing it towards you two and you two only!"I cried out, excited.  
  
"Right Daft! Me n' Kor are going to be able to figure this thing out and if it's important..."Link began, finishing installing the device.  
  
Kor went into standby mode for a bit as his head shut. Link didn't need to tell me anything else for we were all thinking about the same thing anyway. This signal had become the most important thing in my life at the moment and it was top priority to find out what it was and where it was coming from. Kor's eyes brightened up again and he turned on the device, scanning for the signal once again. Through him I could hear the soft fuzz of the radio wave system. I anxiously wrung my hands waiting for the signal to be picked up again. Kor stood stalk still, searching the airwaves for the signal. Link sat down to wait and I began to pace.  
  
For fifteen minuets we heard nothing but static and a few messages from our planet to the nearby mining planet in which we had stationed minors to dig out the planets recourses. Nothing of importance popped up on our screen as the minuets turned to hours. The sun had begun to rise when a faint crackle came to our ears. We immediately rushed over to Kor to listen carefully. I bit my lip with anticipation as the signal came through, soft and breaking up in a few places. Before long, though, we began to hear words. Those words were scrambled and didn't mean anything, but as time went on, we started to make out the sentences as Kor's signal locked on the one being transmitted to us from afar. I held my breath as I listened to the signal, Link also jittery with anticipation. It seemed to come in clearer with each moment. Until at last we were able to make out what they were saying.  
  
".....Earth......." It came to our ears with a crackle of static.  
  
".....Field......Earth Field.....November.....November Now.....Snowflakes......So......Beautiful...."  
  
As we listened, we became more and more confused by this message. Was this some kind of joke?  
  
".....Could Be Here.....Wish....So Cold......yet.....Distant.....Too Far Away....Need....Here.....With Me...."  
  
I continued to listen, giving up hope on the possibility of anyone trying to reach us. It was just a loose signal that managed to gain enough strength to make it to us. It probably was picked up by Link because of his broken head. I sighed as more mumbo-jumbo came on in little bursts. Despite the obvious reasons why I should shut it off, I didn't...Somehow....I just couldn't bring myself to shut it off. Maybe it was in hopes that he might still be alive and out there somewhere...Then again....  
  
".....................Daft....................."  
  
Suddenly, my attention sparked and my jaw dropped open.  
  
".........Come and Find Me................"  
  
My eyes widened and I grabbed Link, going into hysterics which is very un- invader-like, but no one was around, so who cared?  
  
"LINK! LINK! TRACE THE SIGNAL! FOR THE LOVE OF THE TALLEST AND ALL THEIR TALL RULING POWERS TRACE THAT SIGNAL!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Link jumped out of my grasp and went to work tapping into the signal before it was lost. A remaining echo of those last words filled my ears as he worked. I was laughing and crying and pacing at the same time, it was a wonder I didn't trip and fall down! Finally Link raised his arms up in the air and cried in glee as he found the signal. I smiled and ran over to him as a sheet of paper fell from Kor's head to the floor. Kor shut down the tracking device and picked up the paper. On that paper would be the location of the signal. On that paper would be our map to finding the one we miss the most. On that paper would be everything that we'd ever hoped and dreamed of. On that paper was one word....  
  
EARTH  
  
***~~~***~~~*** 


	26. Epilouge

...:::EPILOGUE:::...  
  
--Invaders Log--  
  
~2003-11-13~Pit of the Voot Cruiser~ About Mid-morning back on Irk~  
  
---We've set off for this place called 'EARTH' over two weeks ago. The signal wasn't very strong and we're hoping that these directions are correct. They seem a bit off, but we'll find it. We'll find him. Xen. For so long we have believed he was dead and now we might have something that will prove our thoughts wrong. We couldn't identify the voice because it was so weak, but we made out the words. The words told us enough of who it was. My heart bursts and breaks at the same time at this thought. It will take us a while to get to this 'EARTH' and I hope that by then, he will have not forgotten that we were on our way. There was no way to reach him and tell him, so we'll just have to assume that he sent us the signal knowing we'd come. We have to assume that he's waiting for us. We'll have to assume a lot to be able to keep from going mad with worry. The questions are always racing through my head at a thousand miles per hour and it seems as if my brain will explode before we reach 'EARTH'. It's funny, really, that we would be so, UN-INVADER-LIKE about him and sometimes I question these emotions. Yet I know they're not a defect, for Xen also felt them too. Xen. I cannot wait to see him again.  
  
I left a note to my Tallest before leaving. It explained everything to be explained. Everything I wanted to explain. Hopefully they shall not think this as dishonorable and send me away when I try and return with Xen. I hope they do not cast Xen away as an exile when we return. He may have abandoned the mission, but he saved the Irken Empire. Without Xen, they would have all been dead by Theros's hand. I had only three more days before being sent off on my next mission and I do hope they hold it for me. It sounded fun, but this is more important at the moment. Anyone who questions me has obviously not felt love before. Chi might understand, for I know that deep within her, she's got emotions too. What if we all have emotions and it's just a matter of unlocking them. What then? What if we all unlocked our emotions and let them fly? Would the world be a happier place? I do not know that at the moment, and I guess one can only wonder and hope. Farewell Chi, good luck in Invader Training Skool. I left her a note as well. I hope she's not too disappointed that I left without teaching her any of my techniques. She'll do fine though. She's a good Invader.  
  
'EARTH'. That place sounds so familiar. Its almost as if I've heard of it before and I just can't pull it out of my subconscious mind just yet. Maybe something will trigger it. Maybe not. It doesn't matter right now because 'EARTH' is where Xen is and that's where I want to be right now. We've been flying for a while and I hope these co-ordinates are right. I don't want to spend any more time that I have to finding Xen. I miss him, but that'll all be over soon. We're flying at a speed normal for the Voot, not too excessive, not too slow for my liking either. Kor and Link are here with me and we're headed towards Earth. We're headed towards Xen. ..........Xen. I cannot wait until we get there. What will come of this journey? One can only wonder.---  
  
***END TRANSMISSION***  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Well? How's that for ya? That's the longest thing I've ever written and it took forever. Hmmm....I must be crazy, but I'm starting the sequel to it so sit tight folks and get ready to go on another adventure with Daft, Link, and Kor. This time though, the stakes will be higher and there will be some appearance by our favorite Invader....ZIM! Whoo! Anyways, stay tuned. I think I'll even do a prequel...kinda like a 'BEFORE THE DAYS OF UNTITLED DOOM' or something...hey, it seems to be in style right now! lol, no, actually, it's a very fun idea. I just hope this doesn't get in the way of my world domination...lol...well, thank you those of you who read through this entire thing and didn't complain about my spelling and grammar, and thank you to those who actually took time to review my work. You guys make my day a whole lot brighter and though I haven't got anything to give you physically, just the thought of making someone feel Loved and Wanted should be enough. Thank you all. I hope you enjoyed this book and I hope you'll enjoy the next one even better. Until then...  
  
~Daft~ ...Signing Off... 


End file.
